


Moonstone

by Bleu_Tsuki



Series: Moonstone Series [1]
Category: Darker Than Black
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:07:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 68,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23263696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bleu_Tsuki/pseuds/Bleu_Tsuki
Summary: The Syndicate has a change in heart once they realize the full monetary potential of the gate. No longer desiring the complete eradication of all contractors and dolls, they focus their efforts on trying to right the wrongs of the past. With BK-201's star gone from the sky, Hei, Misaki, November, and April are tasked by the New Syndicate to collect gate artifacts called "moonstones" before they fall into enemy hands. Along the way, will Misaki finally learn the truth? Hei/Misaki UPDATES FRIDAY
Relationships: Hei/Kirihara Misaki
Series: Moonstone Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1672762
Comments: 91
Kudos: 47





	1. Fried Duck for the Soul

**A/N** : It's been a while DTB community. Missed you guys a lot. I had this story idea but no time to flesh it out (wink, college, wink.) Now with the coronavirus causing college to go online, I am stuck at home :(

I fell down the Misaki/Hei rabbit hole once more (thanks tsuki-llama) and had the itch to add to the fandom again.

I took many liberties with the plot. I also have an alternative plotline for why the Syndicate was made/who controls it etc. Season 2 will never be canon for me. This takes place after Hei rescues the doll and gets caught shopping for women's underwear, but Havoc's still alive, November 11 and all are still alive, etc. Also, I really like Bai and Amber, so they'll be here for the beginning, but this is really centered on Hei/Misaki.

* * *

**Moonstone**

**Ch 1. Fried Duck for the Soul**

"Hey Chief, how are you?" Saitou asked concernedly. He made to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she shot him a glare and stepped away from him.

"I'm fine," she said in a clipped voice. "He was just a contractor. It's not like…we knew each other or anything."

"Saitou, that was a stupid question to ask the chief," Kouno hissed. Saitou continued to look lost. He wanted to hold the woman he loved and tell her everything was going to be just fine. It was clear she wasn't in the mood for such sentimentality; well, not from him anyway.

"Come on, Misaki," Kanami said eagerly, "Let's leave work early. I'll take you out to your favorite restaurant. Fried duck—on me. How does that sound?"

Misaki wanted to press her lips further together, but in spite of herself, she felt her lips quirking up in a smile. Fried duck _did_ sound nice.

"I knew it," Kanami smirked. "A bit of food to chase the sadness away." She steered Misaki out of the room, where Saitou was still frozen, hand still out. One day, he was going to tell the chief how he really felt, but until that day…

"Kanami, really, I'm fine," Misaki was saying in the car. "It's not like I haven't dealt with death before, and BK-201 was hardly anyone close to me."

"Misaki, it's okay to feel sad. I felt a little sad too when I saw his star fall last night."

"You did?"

"Yeah, me and Ootsuka were finishing up some software updates for our dolls. After dealing with that contractor with the specter capturing ability, I didn't want any of our dolls to not be able to think a little for themselves and turn back when they sensed danger."

"That's pretty advanced cognitive functioning for a doll."

"Yeah well, they are human," Kanami sighed, looking off to her left somewhere.

"What is it?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," Kanami said quickly, too quickly, for Misaki's taste.

"No, tell me. What was it? Is there someone following us?"

Kanami shook her head as if shaking off some dark thought. "No, no, it's nothing."

" _Kanami_ …"

"I'll tell you about it in the restaurant, okay? More noise in there and more witnesses."

Misaki was getting worried. "What do you mean witnesses? Are we in danger?"

"I don't _think_ so. But there was actually an ulterior motive in taking you out to eat today. We have to talk about something, and I'm not doing it in this car."

Misaki could sense that she wasn't going to get anything out of her friend until they entered the restaurant. Even so, she kept her eyes peeled for signs of danger. Especially now that BK-201 was gone, she imagined there was quite a lot of fluidity within the clandestine organization that hired him. A power shake-up maybe, which could explain the increase in contractor activity since his star fell last night. Kanami wasn't usually this uneasy, but oddly, she seemed to think they weren't in imminent danger…for now, at least.

The entered the Wang Shaotang Hotel. It had been a while since Misaki had been there and the last time she had gone wasn't exactly a happy one. She had failed to save Alice, even if no one else blamed her for the woman's death, but it was also the first time she had come face to face with the infamous BK-201. It was nostalgic, sitting in the restaurant now, watching the other patrons of the restaurant smiling with each other over plates of steaming hot, tasty food.

"Okay, we're here now. Tell me what's happening," Misaki said after they had ordered their food.

Kanami took a quick sweep around the room with her eyes. "You have to promise not to tell anyone else, okay?"

"Just tell me."

"Have you ever heard of Friends of the Gate?"

"Yes, they're that religious organization that keeps handing out fliers everywhere. Gate-worshippers."

Kanami pursed her lips. "Well, not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they're more than just a group of passive worshippers. They've managed to amass a collection of dolls and they seem to have a vested interest in gate technology…and how contractors and dolls are treated."

"What? You mean they have a network that's involved in doll trafficking?"

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that. You see, sometime last week, I was just about to go home when a woman just let herself into the observatory. I recognized her as Alma, the founder, from all of the television programs that have been on the news lately. I would have called for backup, but Stargazer seemed to want her to be there. I can't explain it. Nothing happened though. She just wanted to talk with me."

"What about? Why not go through the higher ups? Why approach you?" Misaki could feel her blood racing. After BK-201's death, a mystery like this could really help her get back to her old self.

"That's what I was thinking, so please don't share this with anyone, but Alma shared with me her ideal vision for the future. It was very hopeful and I don't know if I fully believe that dolls can be fully themselves again, or if contractors can be anything other than killing machines-"

"You've met November 11," Misaki pointed out.

"Well, I guess that's true, but he's not like other contractors…Oh, I see what you mean."

"Even if dolls can't be like they were before the gates, it doesn't mean they aren't people too."

Kanami sighed, amusement dancing in her eyes. "You would have liked Alma. She said much the same thing you just did."

"I can't imagine she just came to talk and convert you."

"No, you're right. She gave me a check. A _massive_ check. She wants Astronomics to become something of a doll haven. They said that her organization has been looking into doll psychology and there's something wrong with how we've been programming them all these years, like it's destroying something inside of them. But without programs, they wouldn't be able to do anything by themselves. She says she has evidence to the contrary. Anyway, the check cleared. I didn't know if it was a hoax or not before then, but it cleared. I have no idea what sort of work Friends of the Gate really does to be flinging around this much money in one go. But now we have it and I don't know what to do. What's the right thing in a situation like this?"

Alma wanted to start a doll haven? That was pretty lofty, especially for a contractor. Someone like November 11 might have a soft spot for dolls like July, but not every contractor felt that way, and not every doll showed the type of initiative July showed. Every doll in Astronomics was suspended like a jellyfish in a tank. Misaki found it hard to imagine they could one day live like normal people without being pursued or recaptured by the criminal organizations of the world.

"Who was following us in the car?" Misaki asked suddenly. "Was it someone who knew that Alma had paid you a visit?"

"No, it was probably nothing. Just a girl with lavendar hair that I saw hanging around the office the last few days. I thought it was strange so I asked the dolls to keep an eye on her. It was probably just coincidence she left at the same time we did."

The room was getting more and more crowded as people were coming in for an early dinner. An older man with a cap was talking with the woman at the front desk in a gruff voice, gesturing to his silver-haired companion.

"I'm sorry, sir," the woman said defensively, "But no pets allowed. It's restaurant policy."

"But this ain't no ordinary cat. My daughter, Yin, is blind. This is her seeing-eye cat." Was it Misaki's imagination or did that seeing-eye cat just roll his eyes?

"Oh! My mistake. Of course, we allow service animals to enter our establishment."

"That's what I thought," the man said triumphantly.

"Right this way, sir, miss."

Misaki vaguely recognized the black cat held in the silver girl's arms. She had seen both the girl and the man around Tokyo before, but she couldn't place where she saw them both together, if ever. Was that really her father? He certainly didn't seem all that attractive to have such a beautiful daughter…maybe Yin's mother made up for it.

"Misaki, Misaki, are you listening?" Kanami asked.

"Oh? What, I'm sorry."

"I was asking if you were alright today, with BK-201 and all."

"Oh…" Misaki looked down. "I'm just in shock is all, I think. We've been chasing him for so long. I was sure we were getting closer to figuring out what it all meant. Who he was working for and why. It feels like I've been cheated somehow to have it all just end so suddenly."

Across the room, beneath the din, Huang let out a heavy sigh.

"Are you sure you don't care at all about Hei, Huang? It seems a little overkill to go to the restaurant in person just to see if he's still alive. After all, we did all see his star fall yesterday," Mao said from Yin's arms.

"Shut up, I'm just doing my job. Yin hasn't seen him, he didn't return to his apartment last night, and his star fell. Yet, the kitchen staff here insists they don't need another waiter on board. Something isn't adding up."

Mao licked his paws. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you've got a heart. I kind of miss the bastard too. He was always a riot to be around."

"Never listened to directions, is what you mean," Huang huffed. "I'm surprised the higher ups are even considering me for promotion after all the screw-ups we turned in to them. We barely managed to complete half our missions without Hei flying in and saving the day."

"It's because he cared," Yin said quietly. "…I miss him."

Huang's eyebrows rose. A doll talking of missing someone? Even Mao looked a little startled.

"It's alright, Yin. Hei's probably in a better place now where he doesn't have to kill anymore. I always thought it was odd seeing a contractor who didn't like to kill. But Hei was an unusual one. So tell us about your new promotion, Huang—wait, you don't think they'll split us up, do you?"

"Who knows why they do what they do," Huang said, though he seemed a little depressed about the prospect of splitting up and possibly never seeing Yin or Mao again. And just when he was getting used to working with them too. "The guy said I would be able to work a reputable job again, though when he said I'd be starting was still up in the air. In other words, someone who ranks above all of us is going to get shot in the next day or two. The Syndicate doesn't create new positions. They promote to replace. Listen, I got a weird tone from him. He seemed scared almost, like there's a change coming our way and this was just the tip of the iceberg. A lot more are going to die before the week is out, I think."

"I felt that way too," Mao said, "A lot of in-fighting at the top. It seems that the Syndicate's power isn't so spread out as we previously thought. A network, sure, but the epicenter of this entire thought-experiment, well, it seems to be crumbling, even if the details are a little hazy."

"Where'd you manage to get that weird idea?" Huang asked.

"I had Yin listen in on a meeting."

"You did what?!" Huang hissed.

"Well, you're gone all day and what are we supposed to do with ourselves at the tobacco shop? Yin's a veritable radio station. We just search around until we hit something interesting."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Huang asked, eyes narrowing.

Mao shrugged. "You never asked. Besides, you don't share everything with us. You still haven't told us what the artifact was that Hei was supposed to retrieve or why you think it's connected to the possibility he could still be a waiter here today. Yin couldn't even find him, and you know that's as foolproof a method as you can get. Are you sure you aren't hiding something from _us_?"

"Look, cat, I wasn't told anything either, but I've got a brain on my shoulders and I know Hei isn't taken out so easily."

"Well, at least I get some fancy food," Mao said. "Yin, make sure to order me some salmon, will you?"

Yin nodded. She had her fingers dipped discretely in her water glass that she held in her lap. No one would think twice unless they peaked under the tablecloth. She scanned the kitchen and the workers' area once more, but she couldn't find Hei using her specter. It made her feel…sad. Like a stabbing pain in her chest that wouldn't go away. Slowly, a tear trickled down her cheek.

"Hey!" Mao said as a drop splattered on him. "Oh, Yin. Are you crying?"

It wasn't the first time Huang saw her cry, but it startled him none the less. "Here," he reached across the table and wiped away her tears. She reached up to take the napkin from him, but ended up just touching his hand.

"I thought it wouldn't hurt so much the second time I lost someone I loved. I was wrong. It hurts a lot more."

Then Yin went frigid. The glass fell from her fingers and water spilled on the floor. Mao and Huang were just about to help her when her voice rang out, clear as a bell. It was echoed by Misaki's shout a few tables over.

"Hei!"

"Li!"

The man in question was dressed in a form fitting waiters uniform, hair combed back, holding a tray of steaming hot duck, grilled chicken, spring rolls, and rice bowls. His midnight blue eyes widened in shock as he was caught between Misaki and Yin. Even Huang looked like he was about to faint, and was it Misaki's imagination or did that cat look like it was going to pee itself?

No one else in the restaurant seemed to notice anything was amiss, but for them time seemed to stand still. The man known as Li Shengshun flashed Yin's table a cute, apologetic smile before gesturing to the heavy plater of food he was supposed to be serving.

"I'm on break soon," he said with a nervous laugh, but his eyes were sharp and conveyed to Yin a very clear message of confusion. Why were they here at the restaurant where he was supposed to be working undercover? What was worrying them so much that they decided to come in after him? Turning his attention once more towards Misaki, he blanked his face of any of these emotions.

"Um, hi Li," Misaki said, feeling a faint blush rise to her cheeks. The last time they had met, Li had been buying lingerie. "I'm surprised to see you working here."

Hei placed the large plate of fried duck in front of Misaki and continued to unload their meal. "I still have to work to make money, you know. They had to hire a lot of new people after the events of last time, so it's like working at a brand new place." He smiled sweetly. "It's nice to meet you under such circumstances, Misaki."

"Likewise, oh, this is Kanami. I think you've met before," Misaki blushed, hating to remind him of the day when she had asked him if the wig and clothes were for him.

"Of course, how could I forget?" Kanami said, smiling way too brightly for the occasion and giving Hei a knowing look. "It must be fate we ran into you today. Did I hear you right? That you're going on break soon? You're free to join us for a minute here—"

" _Kanami_ …" Misaki whined.

"Misaki's been really down lately. I'm sure talking to you would cheer her up."

"Oh? Is that so?" Hei asked innocently in his Li personality. "I have some friends I need to speak with soon, but I have a few minutes. Is everything alright?" He made his eyes large and round. "Is it about a criminal you're chasing?" He knew the chief was usually at work this time of day, and that she was a woman who was not easily upset. He also knew fried duck was something of a comfort food for her, something she didn't indulge in on a daily basis. All of these signs were pointing at something big.

"Not exactly, Li. I—" She didn't know what to tell him. He had seen the work of contractors at Alice's party, but ME was most likely used to erase his memories of those moments. There was no way she could begin to explain to a civilian what a messier code was or how it was connected to the stars which fell or why the code BK-201 could bring tears to her eyes. "I'm just feeling a little lost is all. I was finally about to figure out a case about someone I had been following for a while, but they suddenly just disappeared."

"You mean, they died?" Hei asked lightly.

"Yes," Misaki said. "I just don't know why I'm so upset. It's not like I knew him at all. We never even really spoke. But I felt that he saved my life on a few occasions or at least spared me. That was unusual behavior for a contr-" She clamped her mouth shut. When she looked back up at Li's face, she was surprised to see that his face was shuttered.

"I had no idea you felt that way about your…work," he said finally. His eyes flickered to Misaki's water glass for a second, and then he glanced surreptitiously to the girl with the silver hair.

"Oh, do you have to go to your friends now? Honestly, I had no idea you even knew them."

"Why is that?" Hei asked.

"Well, I had no idea they even knew each other. But that man and his daughter seem really close. She was crying a while ago and her dad was helping her."

"Dad and daughter, huh?" Hei asked with a small smile. "Yeah, they're a little unusual, but I like them."

"She called you, Hei?" Misaki couldn't help but point out, sounding a tad more jealous than she intended. "I mean, it just seems like you're close, is all."

Hei blushed and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just a nickname, is all. I probably should go and speak with them. I feel like I haven't seen them in ages. But thank you for sharing your feelings with me, Misaki. It can help to be able to confide in somebody you trust…Kanami must know you very well."

Kanami nodded. "But sometimes it can help to have an outside perspective. You're a good listener, Li."

The man dipped his head. "Please, enjoy your meal."

Hei got up, glanced pointedly at Yin's table, and then walked back to the employee's only area. Misaki was secretly very happy that Kanami made Li sit and talk with her. He really was a very good friend. She should try to see him more often. He had always seemed like such a friendly person that just happened to be alone quite a lot, but that didn't appear to be the case. Those friends of his seemed to be caring people who obviously knew Li very well by the way they were reacting to him. She kept her eyes on them until they too exited the restaurant after him, even as she munched on her fried duck.

"Wonder how close that silver-haired girl and Li are," Kanami wondered shrewdly.

"Oh, shut up," Misaki said.

"You were staring pretty hard."

"No, that's not it. It's just...something feels weird is all."

"Ah, I get it. You're trying to bury your upset about BK-201 by pretending he's still alive. But you can't investigate everyone, Misaki."

"Indeed," a voice sounded from above them.

"D-director?" Misaki gasped.

Hourai stood above them, as a summation of black gloves, a business suit, and a well-trimmed beard. His face looked worn, though, as if something were draining the life from him. Now that she thought about it, something had been eating at Hourai for a while now. Nishijima had been over the office every day for the past week looking frazzled—to the extent that someone as composed as he could look frazzled.

"I wasn't aware today was a half-day, Miss Kirihara, Miss Ishizaki."

"It's my fault, Director, I took Misaki out because—"

Hourai held up a hand. "You two are old enough to make your own decisions. You don't have to explain to me what your reasons are. I only came to deliver a message. Here." Hourai reached into his coat pocket and took out two expensive looking, cream-colored envelopes. They each held a silver seal. "I would have given these to you in the office tomorrow, but the deadline to RSVP is rather short notice. I thought I should give these to you now…while I had the chance."

Misaki frowned. She had never seen the director look so ill at ease. "Pardon me, but is everything all right, Director?"

He looked at her, as commanding as ever. "I expect this to be a one time thing for you both." He said, avoiding her question. "Have these letters delivered to my office as soon as possible."

He then made a hasty retreat. They both looked at the envelopes on the table.

"Well, that was weird," Kanami said. "Hang on, look outside, I just saw something."

No sooner had Misaki leaned to look out of the window than she saw a lavender-haired girl bump forcefully into Hourai. The girl continued to walk down the street, but Hourai had doubled over. Pedestrians ran over to him as soon as they noticed something was wrong. Misaki looked at Kanami. They both understood in that instant that the girl had been sent to kill Hourai and that Hourai had known.

"What is going on?" Kanami groaned softly. "It's like something large is on the move and we can only just see its shadow."

Misaki was frowning, deep in thought. "He knew he was going to die. Yet, he still came to deliver these letters."

"You think we should open them? Even now?"

Misaki shrugged. In a way, she was still numb from the shock of BK-201's death. She wanted to feel reckless. She opened the envelope. In beautiful script, she read the words,

"To Misaki Kirihara, to whom much is owed. You are cordially invited to the marriage of Atlas and Bai."


	2. Atlas

**Chapter II. Atlas**

**One Day Before**

Olympus Incorporated was one of those secrets that everybody knew about, a family-run empire headed by Arata Fujita, and once upon a time his wife (who had died mysteriously shortly after the gates appeared) and his two sons, Matthew and Michael, (though Michael had met a mysterious and untimely death just five years ago.) They owned everything, from newspapers to whole universities. They were so ubiquitous that no one thought twice about it when they went into the Olympus Room of the Tokyo Art Museum or the Olympus building of the Tokyo Hospital. Olympus was just one of those names that slapped itself onto everything, was in everything, was everything.

Hei looked at the headquarters of Olympus, a sheath of metal and glass that rose to the sky, sizing up the way the lights were concentrated on the top of the building. Huang had told him to get in and out fast, grab the artifact and run. What that artifact was, however, was as vague as ever. _You'll know it when you see it_ , sort of deal. While Hei was confident in his abilities to retrieve the Gate artifact, something was nagging at the back of his mind.

This building, this, this waiting in the tree tops outside the perimeter. It was all too reminiscent of a time, five years ago, when he was waiting in the same tree tops, outside the same building of metal and glass. If Huang had read this detail in his file, he hadn't shown it, and Hei hadn't thought to mention it to him. Five years ago, the Syndicate had ordered him to kill the elder of the Olympus heirs: Michael Fujita. The fact that he was back again, at the same building, was too much to be a coincidence to him. What was Olympus really to attract so much of the Syndicate's attention?

"The side door is clear, Hei," came Yin's voice over the earpiece. "They are gathering on the top floor for the meeting. The item is on the 29th floor."

"Understood."

It was time to move. Hei masterfully zip-lined down from his perch, rolled lithely behind the building, and slipped inside, after short-circuiting the lock on the door. Unexpectedly, the entire door crackled with electricity, not just the lock. Was it him, or did his electricity seem to be stronger than usual? It was something he had been keeping to himself the past few days; not something he thought would lead anywhere good if the Syndicate were to find out his powers were growing.

Hei raced up the stairs—it was far easier this way without waiting for the dinging of the elevator with the floor number lit on each floor like a sign to come and kill him—taking them two at a time as a bout of dizziness hit him and he cursed himself for not eating more lunch while he had the chance.

"You have company," Yin said. "Three men. One of them is a contractor."

Hei grunted in response. As he flung open the stair door to floor 29, he was prepared for the bullets which assaulted him and which bounced harmlessly off of his bulletproof jacket. The one person not in a security guard uniform was a tall, thin man with bright orange hair. He stuck his hand out, sending a ball of flame towards Hei, glowing with the familiar blue light of synchrotron radiation.

"The Black Reaper!" the fire contractor smiled as Hei dodged out of the way. "I always wondered when they would send you to finish the job. First Michael, now Matthew."

Hei was not in the mood for a chatty contractor, but maybe he would let something slip about where the artifact was hidden. Hei shot out his wire towards the two humans, charged with electricity, knocking them out of the way before they became a problem later on.

"I'm not here to kill anyone today," Hei answered. Not that it was any of _his_ business. Hei threw his knife at the thin man, but he scampered to the side.

"No? Then you have come for the pretty trinkets. I see that you are. Yes, we have collected quite a few for ourselves. For what? Only the Syndicate knows!"

Hei paused in his assault. "The Syndicate?"

"My employers, yes. Have you heard of them, BK-201? The Syndicate of the shadows?"

Both contractors stared at each other, sizing each other up. They had been running away from the stairwell entrance, dancing and dodging-as the other contractor wasn't that skilled, but was too quick to catch.

" _I_ work for the Syndicate," Hei growled.

"That's preposterous! Why would the Syndicate have you steal from themselves?"

"You- What?"

"You are in the headquarters of the Syndicate, BK-201. They have sent you to your death." The contractor smirked, sending another fire ball his way. "Coming here was pointless."

Somehow, though, Hei didn't think that to be the case. This contractor wasn't a trained assassin like himself. Even the Syndicate had to know who would win in this fight. "Where are the artifacts?" Hei asked casually, as if they were taking a stroll through the park.

"In the trophy room, of course," the contractor smiled, "up ahead and to the left." _Finally,_ Hei thought. "Though these instructions won't do you much good!" Grinning smugly, the contractor gathered a giant fire ball at his fingertips and shot it out towards the Black Reaper. But when the fire cleared from the hall, Hei was nowhere in sight. " _What_?"

He only just had enough wits to register that a wire had wrapped around his throat, before he slumped to the ground, lifeless.

"Well, he was certainly a talkative bastard," Mao said from over the earpiece. Huang made no reply.

"Huang, did you know about this?" Hei asked as he made his way through the charred hallway towards the trophy room.

"It was probably just nonsense," Huang huffed, but he sounded uncertain. At any rate, it didn't seem like Huang knew anything more than Hei did. Not that this boded well for them. Either the entire team was just cut off or something else was going on here.

Upon reaching the trophy room, there were surprisingly very little security measures. Just as with the Wang Shaotang Hotel, once Hei had reached the crystal rooftop, the security measures only consisted of contractors…and Hei had just disposed of the one, which was odd in itself…

"Huang, you're going to have to be a bit more specific about the artifact."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Because the entire room is filled with Gate materials."

"WHAT?"

Huang began breathing heavily from the other end.

"Oh, you don't really believe that crazy contractor, do you?" Mao asked, "You really believe this is the headquarters of the Syndicate? All this time?"

"I don't know," Huang said finally, "I was told the item would be unmistakable. Hard to miss. A gemstone or something."

"A gemstone? Well, now that's something Hei can work with," Mao said, licking his paw.

Then the connection from Hei's microphone cut off, leaving static in their ears. Mao, Huang, and Yin jolted at the implications.

"He's still in the trophy room," Yin said to their relief. "But he's not alone."

.oOo.

Hei was busy looking at all the glittering artifacts, but he still felt that itch on his back when he was being watched.

"Hei." It was that voice, _her_ voice. The one that haunted him at night, that had whispered in his ears as she held him during Heaven's war. It belonged to—

"Amber!"

Hei turned around to see the girl herself, blonde hair radiant in the night, in a pink jumpsuit. In her hands was a small white stone. It was unremarkable at first glance, but Amber hardly dealt with the unremarkable. He was so shocked at seeing her, that it took a while for his rage to catch up with him.

"A piece of the moonstone." Amber held it out to him. "Hei, I realize you have many questions right now. But I-"

"There's nothing I want to hear from you!" Hei shouted, taking a step forward.

"I know where Bai is," Amber said simply. She spread her hands in front of her as if to show how harmless she was, though they both knew she could still use her powers, rendering the gesture mostly symbolic. Hei stopped in his tracks. If this was some kind of joke, if this was just another trick, another way for Amber to just toy with him…

"Where?" Hei demanded. "Where is she?!"

Amber blinked calmly as if she didn't register how much danger she was in and didn't care much for his commanding tone. "In this building."

Hei narrowed his eyes. "I'm not interested in your games, Amber!" He reached for the knife that was strapped to his leg, ready to slit her throat, though knowing in the back of his mind that it was pointless.

"This isn't a game, Hei. The stars have been rewritten. A new path has formed. One I have never before seen and it is time to jump on it now, Hei, before the worlds separate and we lose our one and only chance."

"At what?"

"At a future of peace," Amber said simply. She looked towards her hands. Hei noticed for the first time that the small white pebble, smooth as glass, was actually a necklace.

"If you wear this, Hei, instead of giving it to Huang, you will see your sister again."

"What is it?"

"The moonstone. It's a part of the old world, a part of the old moon that was found within the Gate. It will keep you safe for a while, Hei, but it will also allow you to see your sister again."

"How?"

"It weakens the ties a contractor has to their star. Typically, you wouldn't lose your powers though, but you, Hei…those aren't really your powers. I think you've always known, deep down inside why you aren't like the rest of us."

"So it really is Bai…"

"If you wear this necklace for me, for the next 24 hours, your sister will return to you again," Amber said in earnest, "but you won't have your powers for a day."

"I don't understand, Amber. Why?" Why now? Why was she here? Why, why, why,…?

"Your sister did more than control electricity. She could manipulate matter on the quantum level. When Heaven's Gate became inaccessible, she merged herself with you, lending you her powers, while she paid her price by sleeping within you for a long time. If you wear this moonstone, it will loosen the connection between your star, BK-201, and your physical body. Enough wiggle room to allow Bai to take control of her powers and become her own person again."

"And my-Bai's powers?" Hei asked.

"Will return to you once Bai is done here. I think she misses just being human, but there is some unfinished business here that she and I are trying to take care of tonight. An integral stage to our plan. But this is something which Bai must do and not you."

"I-"

"Take it, Hei."

Hei took the necklace with the moonstone in his hand and placed it over his head cautiously. He felt his pent up electricity simmer down for a moment, before a flash of bright brilliant white light lit the room. In its place stood Bai, alive as the day Hei had last seen her. Her hair was tied back with a blue tie and her eyes were warm…almost human again.

"Brother," Bai smiled, looking at him proudly and full of love. She looked like she had a million things to say to Hei, and Hei felt that he had so much to tell his sister, though she must have already seen everything already, but time was of the essence. "I must go now, Hei. But I promise that I will see you soon, in a better world."

Hei swallowed down his disappointment, which was easy enough since he was in close to total shock. Even if she had had the time to talk now, what would he have said? What could they say? He nodded that he understood that Amber and Bai still had work to do, and shot Amber a look, something to the effect of: this better not end the way last time you worked together did. Bai took Amber's hand with one last smile at Hei, and together they exited the room, leaving Hei feeling like all the energy had just been drained from him. Tired and light…and then, he was crashing to the floor.

When he came to, he was in a bed. _His_ bed, he realized, in the safe house he had bought for himself without the Syndicate's knowledge. A small note from Bai lay on his bedside table. It had felt like a dream. A wonderful and unbelievable dream. The note said simply, "I will see you soon, brother. There is much I haven't told you. Many futures where I have fought and died. Many futures where we were all unhappy. Amber has seen to it that this is not one of them."

He held the letter to his chest and sighed with relief. Then the tears started flowing, down his cheeks in torrents. What exactly had happened last night? Had he really been in the Syndicate's headquarters and had he really seen Amber and Bai there too? His shock mingled with his longing for this to be true, for his one desire—to see Bai again—to stay with him and not fade into nonexistence. If only he could hold on, if only he could feel safe knowing that she was here with him again, that Bai was alive,…but tiredness overwhelmed him, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep again, one hand resting upon the moonstone that was flat on his chest.

.oOo.

Amber and Bai left Hei to recover in the trophy room. Amber knew that no danger would come to him in the few minutes that they needed to get their work done before she could move him to his safe house.

"How does it feel, Bai? To be back in this time again?" Amber asked quietly as they walked to the elevator.

"It feels like I was here over a millennium ago," Bai said. "It's hard to believe that Atlas will think I saw him yesterday, when in reality…"

"In reality, you have been _stuck_ with your brother for years."

"Yes. And you, Amber? Do you ever get confused about where you've been already?"

Amber gave a small smile. "No, because it all makes sense, up here, you know? You don't remember this, because it never happened for you, but we've had this conversation many times. It hasn't worked before, you take them out and you're even happy with Atlas for a while, but eventually the loose ends come and we end up back where we started."

"At Hell's Gate."

"Exactly."

"So what's different now?" Bai asked.

"Hei is wearing the moonstone now. Before, we thought it would be best for you to wear it, as you were the one materializing out of nowhere, but it's much better this way." Amber smiled again. "Yes, much better this way."

The elevator dinged loudly in the mostly empty building. The two contractors entered and pressed the button to go to the very top floor. The elevator dinged loudly again. Being careful was pointless for their purposes. The second time the elevator dinged, everyone was alerted to their presence. They had entered the boardroom of the Syndicate, which took the entire top floor of Olympus Incorporated. At the head of the table was Arata Fujita, a well-built man with a tidy grey beard. To his left was Matthew "Atlas" Fujita, handsome, with brown hair and shining brown eyes.

Atlas looked from Bai to Amber. His lover and the woman who had been like a mother to him.

Growing up, he hadn't known that the woman who appeared from time to time to take care of him was a contractor. He was convinced, and his brother had even convinced him, that he was childish, that he was making too much of his imaginary friend, since Amber always came to him alone. She would cradle him and read him stories, acting as the mother that Atlas never had…giving him the attention that his father gave Michael, but never him. It hadn't occurred to him until Amber confessed sometime during his teenage years that Amber was one of them…a contractor, just like the one who had killed his mother. She had been kind and even seemed emotional now and again.

As for Bai, that was more recent. It was Amber who had set them up about a year ago, bringing Bai whenever she came to visit so that the two could get to know each other. He hadn't expected to really fall in love. He didn't know exactly who Bai was, as his father loved to keep him out of the loop as much as possible, but he knew that she was a contractor as well. It was impossible not to realize that his father's revenge-fueled crusade to erase all contractors from the world was wrong. It was genocide, plain and simple. They weren't all monsters! But he couldn't make a dent in his father's ideology. Nor could he sway the other head members of the Syndicate to his side. All he could do was bide his time, and now, Amber was here. Time was up.

"Bai, Amber, welcome," Atlas said as he stood from the table to welcome his honored guests. It wasn't his place to be so at ease at this board meeting, nor to stand up before his father spoke, and many of the other occupants of the room looked affronted that he had acted out of turn.

"What is the meaning of this?" Arata shouted, glaring daggers at his son. While he was the head of the Syndicate, he didn't memorize all the files on contractors under his command. He was out of touch with how the organization actually operated, preferring to leave this to the many middle men and women on the field.

"Are you sure, Atlas?" Bai asked, completely ignoring the older gentleman. "Some things cannot be undone."

"They will not hear me out about coexistence-" Atlas started.

"Coexistence?!" one of the men yelled. "With those monsters?"

"You have brought these two here to destroy us!"

Atlas talked directly to Bai over the din. "They only want destruction. They would never let us be together."

As the board members began to realize that they should perhaps get a move on and make a run for it, it was already too late. Bai nodded at Atlas and then started to glow a brilliant soft white light. Time froze as Bai calmly walked to each person and killed them without a second thought. They stood between her and her partner, between the now and the peace of the future. They deserved to die. When she was done she looked at Amber, now a young teenager.

"I must return, Bai," Amber said softly. "I will make sure Hei is safe tonight, but then I will have to return to make sure Heaven's Gate happens as it should...as it did."

"Thank you, Amber," Bai said, and she meant it.

When the world was righted again, Atlas looked around him at the bodies on the ground, making sure that all of them were accounted for. Bai was by his side, looking up into his eyes. Amber was nowhere to be seen.

"The Syndicate will make things right again," Atlas promised his fiancée, only slightly bothered by the fact they were surrounded by corpses. "Starting today, I will be by your side, Bai, and I will never leave you."

Bai pressed a kiss to his lips as she had not in many years, though for him it was only just yesterday.

"I know, Atlas. I believe you: that you and I will hold up the new world _together_."

The birth of the new Syndicate was shining on the horizon, brimming with hope as it not had since its conception. Just one thing:

"About your brother…" Atlas trailed off. "Are you sure he'll approve?"

Bai laughed. "Of course he will. You'll love him."

Atlas wasn't so sure. This Hei, as Bai had told him, was someone that he knew the Syndicate used for high profile missions. While Atlas didn't know a lot about him until he cracked into his father's files, he would refrain from passing judgement until he met the man. With his mind made up, he allowed himself to relax into her hold. The odd couple looked out the window, at the false stars that twinkled in the sky, maybe without knowing it, in celebration of their deliverance.

.oOo.

Miles away, in the Astronomics observatory, Ootsuka and Kanami exchanged worried looks. They had been staying late this one particular night to make adjustments to the code used to program their doll system. While Kanami hadn't explicitly told Ootsuka about her late night visitor, Alma, the other day, Ootsuka had enough trust in her instincts to know something was spurring this change. Since meeting July, Kanami had had to revise her opinion of dolls' capabilities. Perhaps, even without programming, they could learn to become something more than just spying machines. It would explain a lot, about why some specters tended to hang out together in certain areas of the city, maybe remembering their lives from before. Kanami wasn't sure.

After all, she was never really told how Astronomics had amassed their doll collection, and maybe she should have been more concerned from the start. How would she feel if she were just kidnapped and placed in a little glass tube for the rest of her life? Not great, that was for sure.

"Did you just see that?" Ootsuka whispered. There was no need to explain what she was referring to. BK-201's star had just flared brilliantly in the sky before vanishing off their radar.

Kanami looked at the giant spike on the monitor and even reversed the footage of the incident from their cameras. There was BK-201, sitting idly, before flaring, and then- gone! But the star hadn't fallen, which would indicate that the contractor had finally died. But it must have, right? The devices that detected synchrotron radiation were not perfect and it was possible that it fell without any of their equipment detecting the fall…still. Kanami rubbed her eyes.

"I did, but I don't know what to make of it. It just kind of disappeared."

"It might have fallen faster than our cameras could detect. I didn't even know that was possible!"

"Anything's possible when it comes to the Gate," Kanami said.

BK-201…gone. A blank space in the fake sky, no different from any other contractor that lost their life in the line of duty. Yet, Kanami couldn't help but feel a stone settle in her heart. Whether that knot was fear or worry or just plain anxiety for some unknown cause, she was unsure.

"Come on, let's wrap this up and call it a night," Kanami said. She turned to glance back at the dolls in their tubes and caught sight of Stargazer wearing a huge smile.

"What's she so happy about?" Ootsuka asked with genuine curiosity. "Hey look!" She pointed excitedly at their screen, at the monitor which displayed the way all the stars in the sky began to twinkle madly. It wasn't enough to indicate they had all started to activate their power, but it was as if they were communicating somehow. Or as if the universe, and indeed Stargazer, were… _happy_ …for a reason that was kept secret from non-contractors and non-dolls. Well, if BK-201 were indeed dead, one of the most ruthless and infamous assassins of all, maybe that was enough reason to celebrate.

Kanami knew one person who wouldn't be celebrating though. Her thoughts traveled to her best friend and a frown graced her face. What was she going to tell Misaki?

No sooner had she thought this than her phone began to buzz. _Misaki Kirihara_. Ootsuka gave Kanami a pitying look as Kanami reached for her phone.

"I guess you already know then…"


	3. The Wedding, Part 1

**Moonstone**

**Ch 3. The Wedding, Part 1**

"What do you mean my star is gone?" Hei asked. The team was seated in the tobacco shop in the back room a few hours after they had left the restaurant together. In that time, Huang had received a voice message on his phone, but hadn't spilled any of the details yet. Yin was busy stroking Mao behind his ears and Hei had been lost in thought until Huang decided to get to the bottom of things.

"Your star!" Huang said, jabbing a finger at Hei, "Up and disappeared."

"We were worried about you, Hei," Mao said, "Even Huang. Don't let him try to fool you."

"Well, I-" Huang grunted, turning away from him. Maybe he had gotten used to having Hei around, after all.

"I'm just glad you are safe," Yin said, giving Hei a smile.

"Yeah…" Hei fought not to touch the moonstone hanging beneath his shirt. Amber had said that the moonstone weakened his connection to his star, perhaps…but wouldn't she have mentioned it? Of course not. This was Amber.

"So, you got the item?" Huang asked, back to business.

Hei shook his head. "There was too much stuff in there, Huang. I wasn't sure what I was looking for."

Yin knew better, but kept her mouth shut.

"Probably doesn't matter now much anyways," Huang said, waving his hand noncommittally. "There's going to be a big change coming our way in the Syndicate. Orders are changing all the time and I doubt anyone will bother to remember this mission or its result."

"What do you mean?" Hei asked. Had news travelled that fast of his sister's exploits last night?

"I've been promoted. Just got a call." Huang puffed out his chest a little. "I'll be Chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Public Security Bureau."

"Public Security Bureau," Yin repeated.

Hei nodded, vaguely remembering a lavender-haired contractor kill Hourai outside the hotel. Bai hadn't told him much, but when she swung by his safe house that morning, holding of all things a wedding invitation for him, she had promised him that his team would be safe and kept mostly together through the changes. Huang as chief of the police put him in direct contact with Section 4…with Misaki. When Hei had asked more deeply about her involvement with this man she so familiarly called Atlas, she just shrugged and laughed off his concern. _Of course he's dangerous, Hei. He's the leader of the Syndicate. But that makes me a leader of this brand new Syndicate too, and I'll take care of you…Now will you be the best man, or not?_ It was impossible to say no to his long-lost, but perhaps not-so-lost, sister, and that had been the end of it.

"Congratulations," Hei said warmly, realizing that he meant it. "A return to normalcy must feel good."

"Yeah? What would you know about it? Ruddy contractors…" But even Huang was pleased. Finally, a badge and a desk to sit behind just as it should be. At least it gave the illusion of working for the right side of the law.

"By the way, Hei, what were you doing before we ran into you today?" Mao asked.

"I had a meeting…with my sister."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"I didn't know you had a sister," Mao said, breaking the silence. "Is she human?"

"Well…" Hei wasn't quite sure how to answer. As he was able to generate electricity this morning, though with a weird white glow instead of the usual blue, and as Bai had explained it to him, she was quite ready to give up her powers fully over to him. The moonstone which kept his power one step removed from his physical body, as Amber had explained it, allowed for the transfer of power between the 'two' BK-201's, but Bai had explained that she was done with that part of her life. She was tired. She needed rest. As for Hei, she said, Amber had seen into the future and knew that Hei needed to have his powers on him to build the kind of world worth living in. Secretly, Hei was relieved. He had gotten used to his electricity and would have missed that part of himself if it just went away. "She doesn't have her powers anymore."

"Ah, a Regressor then," Mao said knowingly.

"Close enough."

Huang had gone still then, looking at Hei with new eyes. "I read in a file once that your sister had died."

Hei nodded, unwilling to argue that fact. "She's alive though. It's complicated, Huang. Suffice it to say that a little time travel was involved."

"You mean that girl, Amber, the one who was stirring up that commotion with Evening Primrose before the group disbanded?"

"Yes."

"Didn't you used to work with her in South America?" Huang asked. "You've seen her lately?"

"Is that going to be a problem, Huang?" Hei asked levelly.

Huang shrugged. It had once been his order to keep Hei away from Amber at all costs. It didn't seem relevant now anymore, what with the Syndicate changing and all. "I guess it doesn't really matter. If time's messed with, then what would I even know about it? _What will be, will be_."

"Ah, wiser words were never spoken, Huang," Mao sighed. "So your sister? When do we get to meet her?" His tail was waving with excitement. If his sister were even half as entertaining as Hei was, Mao was in for a real treat.

"Actually…" Hei nervously reached into his pocket and pulled out three cream colored envelopes. "My sister asked me to give you these."

"Huh?" Huang asked, looking dumbfounded at the cards as if he had never seen anything quite like them before.

"They're wedding invitations…to her wedding," Hei finished lamely.

Huang tore open the letter roughly and let Mao look over his shoulder. Yin just felt the texture of the expensive paper, running her fingers over it, even though it wasn't in Braille. "To _Atlas?_ "

Mao snapped his eyes to Hei's. "Atlas! That's the heir of Olympus Inc."

"Olympus…" Huang hummed, making the connections from what he had overheard last night and from the brief voice message he had received from his higher-up about the promotion. "You don't mean…"

Hei nodded.

"Your sister is going to be married to the head of the Syndicate?" Huang's mouth dropped open.

"Huh, didn't see that one coming," Mao said, curling his tail around himself. "Explains a lot. If Hei's this much trouble, of course his sister would find a way to shake things up."

"Shake things up?" Huang screeched. "This, cat, is more than just a shakeup. This changes everything!"

"So you'll go?" Hei asked quietly. "She said that it would be important in making sure everyone got on the same page. The wedding is real, but it's also an excuse to gather a large group of people together. _Important_ people for the future they intend to build."

"I'll go," Yin said immediately. "I love weddings."

"Well, count me in!" Mao grinned. "Huang?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course I'm going," Huang said. Privately, Huang thought that not going was akin to asking to be killed.

"Good." For the first time, they saw Hei give a smile—a genuine smile. "You guys are family, after all. I would want you to be there, even if it weren't just for work."

Yin reached over and placed her hand on Hei's, startling him with her volition. "Of course, Hei."

.oOo.

Hourai was dead, meaning Section 4 was going to be under new management. BK-201 was dead, one of the most deadly contractors to roam the earth. Now this wedding invitation that Hourai had given them before his death…What was going on?

Misaki frowned in thought, sitting at her desk while Saitou and Kouno chatted quietly together. Though Director Hourai had yet to be replaced, Misaki had no doubt a replacement had already been chosen, a compromise between actual merit and internal politics, maybe even chosen by whoever had ordered his death in the first place. For now though, his office was vacant. _Why_ had Hourai been killed? How had he known he would die? And what was with these wedding invitations? She had had her team look into who this Bai and Atlas were to no avail. What was hard to ignore, however, was the fact that the wedding would be held in one of the ballrooms at Olympus headquarters. She was getting a funny feeling about this, reminiscent of the party Alice had invited her to. Besides her intuition, there were reports that many top level executives at Olympus had recently "gone missing." This news had been kept quiet, most likely due to the fact that it would be bad PR for Olympus and since Olympus had all the newspapers and media outlets in the palm of their hand, it only stood to reason that the news would never get out. _Why_ though? Misaki placed her head in her hands, scrunching her eyes shut tight. Two bad nights of sleep in a row, all due to BK-201. If only she could take a nap, get her mind clear, stop thinking about the fact that BK-201 was no longer alive…Everything was connected, she was sure of it, but nothing was making enough sense for her to get rid of her raging headache. Dammit! She swung her fist to punch the desk.

"Chief? Are you alright?" Saitou asked timidly. That's right, her entire section had been invited to the wedding too.

"Yeah, just…stressed about the wedding is all."

"Don't worry, Chief. We'll be prepared," Saitou said. "More than last time." His face darkened, remembering the way he had been unable to protect Misaki from Wei. Good thing Li had been there, otherwise…He was determined not to let it happen again.

"Good to hear it."

"Uh, Chief?" Saitou faltered. He wanted to ask her to be his date, but such a thing was unnecessary as they were all going together as Section 4…He lost his nerve last minute and grinned sheepishly instead.

"Hey, I wonder if BK-201 will be there," Kouno wondered absently, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back in his office chair.

"What do you mean?" Misaki asked sharply. "BK-201 is dead."

"Well, just a rumor is all," Kouno said. "I heard contractors were going to be invited to this thing as actual guests, not just as security. I mean, what kind of names are Atlas and Bai? It just seems like BK-201 wouldn't want to miss out on the event of the century."

"How did you hear that?" Misaki asked, though her heart started to beat a little faster. No, he's dead! Think Misaki! Stay in the present.

"From _me_."

Everyone looked towards the doorway as the contractors from MI6 entered the police office. November 11, April, and July had arrived a few days ago on a mission which had somehow dissolved in the week they had been in town. Misaki was never informed just what that mission was, but November, ever the congenial contractor, had let slip that it had to do with a contractor who had lost her powers. Whatever happened to that case seemed irrelevant the next day, and the group took to hanging around the police station and talking with Misaki from then on, as if they had nothing better to do but wait. What was going on?

Misaki looked at the newcomers in surprise. "Don't tell me. You're invited to this little wedding too?"

"Precisely, Misaki," November 11 said. "Atlas is a friend of mine after all."

"You know Atlas?" Saitou asked in shock. "You mean, Kouno's right? He's a contractor?"

April shook her head. "No, Atlas is a human who concerns himself with the welfare of contractors for some reason. He reached out to November just over a month ago, completely out of the blue. His real name is Matthew Fujita, heir to Olympus. Though now I suppose he's running it, what with all the _disappearances_." She winked very obviously in Misaki's direction.

At least now the venue made sense. "So this…Atlas. He makes friends with contractors, does he?" Misaki asked shrewdly. "That's awfully nice of him."

"Nice?" November chuckled. "No, I wouldn't call him particularly nice. He had his father killed after all and all the other heads of the company…That was joke." He added.

"Disappearances, my ass," Kouno said. "So this guy's like a mobster. Kills his family, rises to power. What's with the wedding though? You don't think he'll try to wipe out Section 4, do you? We catch contractors for a living. If he's so friendly with them…"

"No, I genuinely think he's in love," November said. No one could tell if he was joking or not. "At any rate, there shouldn't be any murder attempts coming from _him_."

"What do you mean?" Saitou asked worriedly. "You think there will be an attack anyway?"

"Of course," April said. "So many contractors in one place? If he has friends in MI6, I would imagine he would invite friends from other agencies as well. Any organization would gladly lose a few of their contractors to blow up fifty others."

"And you're still going to go?" Saitou asked.

"We could all use a good party," April said with a grin, placing a hand on July's shoulder. "It's never been done before…a gathering of contractors and humans for a peaceful, normal celebration. Not knowingly, at least. This is a historic moment."

July nodded, making April smile at him like a proud older sister.

"So this Olympus…" Misaki asked, tapping her fingers lightly on her desk. "Just how well connected are they?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" November asked. "I never heard of them in this capacity before Atlas came to talk with me. Just another company, nothing that interesting. But then I got to know Atlas and while I don't know who this Bai is, I can't help but speculate that Olympus is just a front for an international crime organization."

That made everyone's eyebrows shoot to the top of their heads.

"What makes you think that?" Kouno asked.

"Besides the fact that he's friends with contractors in various organizations like he's not even scared of retribution? Well, Olympus deals in more than just equipment and cutlery. They have managed to amass a large collection of Gate artifacts and have realized just how lucrative a Gate economy could be. Did you know you could cure most cancers from a single seed of a poppy grown inside the Gate?"

Saitou looked shocked.

"You mean, they are already in PANDORA," Misaki said, thinking fast.

November 11 shook his head. "No. They own PANDORA."

"What? That's crazy!" Kouno cried, "PANDORA is an independent-"

"Don't be so naïve," April said, picking dirt from under her perfectly manicured fingernails. "All I know is that November trusts this Atlas to keep us safe through a simple wedding, and I trust November to know what he's talking about." July nodded beside them.

Saitou muttered something about _easy for you to say, you're a contractor,_ but no one paid him any attention.

"So you think BK-201 will try to attack the venue, despite the fact that his star is gone?" Misaki asked. "How do you suppose he'll try to do that?"

"That's an interesting idea," November said. "But I was speculating whether BK-201 was on the guest list or not. Suppose Atlas invites people that Olympus indirectly owns: MI6, PANDORA…Section 4, for instance." That made Misaki sit up straighter. "Who's to say that he wouldn't have a hand in whatever organization BK-201 works for?"

"But he's dead!" Kouno cried. "Even he can't raise people from the dead, no matter how much money his family's got."

November 11 shrugged like this fact was of little importance to him. "I suppose…"

Misaki's browed wrinkled in thought. Section 4, part of an international crime organization? She wouldn't have thought of it before, except that she had _seen_ Hourai murdered in cold blood right outside the restaurant. Even if she wasn't informed about Section 4's affiliations, Hourai was certainly in the know by the fact he even had the invitations. As for BK-201…no, she couldn't think like that. The Black Reaper was dead. His organization though…there was a good chance that they would be at this event. An opportunity to question-um-make small talk with them was hard to pass up. Besides, November, April, and July would be there too. If they were correct in thinking that Atlas now owned most of the contractor-known world, then she could not afford to _not_ go to this wedding.

.oOo.

This was how Misaki found herself in a beautiful ocean blue dress with small crystals sewn down the side. What she thought had been a strategy meeting quickly turned into a _Misaki, you don't have a dress?_ type fiasco which Kanami quickly remedied that afternoon. The result was that Misaki looked stunning with her hair pinned high on her head, contacts on (she had fought Kanami for hours over them, but eventually conceded that having broken glasses was indeed a liability) which showed off her chocolate brown eyes, and a dress that was classy with just a "hint of sexy." It wasn't enough to upstage the bride, but it would certainly make people look twice, even people who knew her. In fact, Saitou had excused himself to go to the bathroom shortly after catching a glimpse of her and Kouno had let out a low whistle, which earned him a smack from Misaki that quickly shut him up. Beside her, Kanami was wearing a floral dress with a deep V-neckline and whimsical cap sleeves, while Ootsuka was dressed in a modest navy-blue dress and had curled her hair.

Upon arriving, the group was asked to disclose all weapons on their persons, handguns and tasers, but strangely not to give them up. Then they checked in by giving their names and were handed adhesive nametags that had their names and affiliation printed on them.

"Section 4? Table 3 to your right," the table manager said with a smile, "Next!"

Kanami almost gagged, considering it a fashion crime to place a nametag intended for a children's birthday party on such an exquisite outfit, but did so anyway when the armed guard near the door began to frown. Misaki placed her nametag "Misaki Kirihara, Section 4" on her dress without a fuss, figuring that whoever had set up this event had to know who everyone was anyway. A nametag, or lack thereof, wasn't going to protect her identity. Still, would contractors cooperate with this rule? In her experience, operatives tended to keep their identities, aliases, and even messier codes under wraps. Looking around though, it seemed that people were wearing them, funny as they were.

The odd police group made their way to a round table nearer to the front of the ballroom, close to where the main table for the bride and groom was arrayed, and where traditionally the people closest to the couple also sat and ate. Some people were already seated, eating small plates of dumplings and crackers that were making their way around on the trays of the catering staff. Few were on the dance floor, not dancing, just in little circles of huddled bodies. More people were arriving by the minute.

"Hey, isn't that Mr. Nishijima?" Ootsuka asked, tilting her head in the direction of the PANDORA research manager. So, it was true then, that Olympus owned PANDORA.

"Yeah, who's that old guy next to him?" Saitou whispered back.

"Get close enough to him, I expect you could just read his nametag," Misaki said, not expecting Saitou to actually get up from the table, and then as subtle as a bull, inch his way over to the table to catch a glimpse. Misaki sighed. "Maybe we should just split up now? Start to mingle, get a feel for who's invited?" It was what her team had agreed upon before, but being in the room, here, now, surrounded by contractors, was a different story altogether.

"Kouno and I can take the left side," Ootsuka volunteered, getting up from her chair.

"Alright, that leaves us to the right side," Kanami said, then froze, gazing off into the distance.

"What? Kanami?" Misaki asked.

"Is that…is that Li?"

"What?" Misaki asked, finding him quickly now that she knew who she was looking for. There was a shot of black hair in the distance, but she couldn't make out his face. Maybe…if she got a little closer. Hell, if she got close enough, she could just read his nametag.

"Why don't you go check that one out, Misaki?" Kanami asked sweetly. "Work can wait a little bit, and besides, I just found the bar."

"Okay, sounds good…" Misaki was in a trance. Li? At this party? That didn't make sense. Maybe it wasn't Li, maybe it was just a toned body that looked like Li's? Or maybe he was working the wait staff tonight and she was too far away to see his uniform? She got closer to him, weaving her way through people dripping in gold and pearls. If she paid attention, she might have been able to get their names and affiliations, but she was too busy focusing on her prize that was rapidly coming into more focus.

Okay, so what if it were Li? Was it forbidden for him to have friends connected to Atlas? That would be awfully hypocritical of her, seeing as she was clearly attending the same party. Yes, that's probably what it was, just some reasonable explanation, even if it were Li—

"Oh, Li!" Misaki said a little too cheerily, feeling the words slip out of her mouth by their own accord. She was staring at his nametag that said simply, Li, in what looked to be sharpie marker. No affiliation attached. She looked up into his face, watching as his baffled expression turned to one of genuine happiness.

"Oh, uh, hi Misaki!" Hei smiled, putting up his best Li impression, even as he was gesturing behind his back for Huang, Mao, and Yin to please walk away and give him some privacy. He could feel his face burning as he tried to nonchalantly take in the way the ocean blue dress hugged her slender figure. "Blue suits you," Hei said, watching out of the corner of his eye as his team took a seat at Table 1.

Misaki tried not to let the way the compliment affected her show on her face, but she knew she was failing miserably. "I felt that wearing red would be bad luck somehow, considering how last time ended." It was a reference to Alice's party, as if either of them could forget it. "So uh, Li…your nametag doesn't have any affiliation on it. Are you a friend of Atlas'?"

Hei scratched his back nervously. He's so cute, Misaki thought. "Well, not exactly."

Hei had carefully thought out his response beforehand, knowing that Misaki would be invited with the rest of Section 4 to the wedding. "I'm actually here because of Bai."

"The bride?" Misaki asked, mentally slapping herself for asking such as stupid question.

"Bai is my sister," Hei said. "We used to be very close, but I haven't seen her in a long time." He looked slightly sad when he said that and Misaki wanted nothing more than to hold him close and tell him it was all going to be alright.

"I'm sorry," Misaki said, "It must have been hard, being separated for so long." Part of her was ecstatic that Li seemed to still be Li, that his nametag didn't say the CIA or anything on it (even if it was in sharpie.) The logical part of her brain was doing cartwheels though: Did Bai know who she was marrying? And if she did, did Li? And if Li did, how much did he know? Was he aware that the room was full of contractors and dolls and possibly other criminals? But if he didn't, did he need protection? Yes, it was much more likely that he had no idea what he was getting himself into. He had said himself that he and his sister were not as close anymore. How was he to be held accountable for the fact his sister was going to marry a man who, for all she knew, was a great guy?

"Ah, chief!" Saitou said, catching them unawares. "It was Dr. Schroeder from PANDORA. Ow!"

Misaki had stepped on his foot—hard. Unbelievable! Did he not see she was with Li?

"Uh Li!" Apparently not.

"Hi Saitou!" Hei smiled back warmly. "Ah, you are interested in the other guests…for the police?"

Well, there was no point in pretending she wasn't now. "No one's in trouble," Misaki said slowly. "It's just that if something happens tonight it would be useful to know who's here."

"You mean like an attack?" Hei asked, eyes going wide. Misaki thought he was having flashbacks to Alice's party, when really he was thinking of all the dead uninvited guests in the basement of the building who he had taken out that afternoon as his brotherly duties and last-minute wedding gift. "Well, I don't know many people here myself, but maybe I can get you the guest list from my sister afterwards?"

Misaki gave him a wide smile, looking deep into his beautiful dark blue eyes for what felt like eternity. "That would be perfect."

Saitou felt decidedly awkward, like he was coming in between the two, which he was, but he hadn't meant to. "Uh, chief, I'm just going to sit down."

Both Hei and Misaki jolted back to reality. "Actually, I'll come with you." Over her shoulder she added, "It was nice to speak with you, Li. I don't want to hold you up."

Hei nodded, waving at the two police officers. "No problem. See you soon." As they left, Hei's eyes darkened, becoming colder as he watched for any potential threats against Section 4. It wouldn't surprise him if someone took this opportunity to take down the brains behind the contractor specific task force. And more than that, Hei wanted to stare just a little longer…

* * *

**A/N: Ooooh! What will happen? Will Saitou finally get the courage to share his feelings? Is PANDORA going to pull something at the event? Will Li finally have the courage to make a move? Will BK-201 ever return? Please review!**


	4. The Wedding, Part 2

**A/N: Hi everyone! Hope you're all staying safe at home! I plan to update this story at least once a week on Friday. Also, there is definitely a plot, so while I would like to split this story up into "episodes" it would be too confusing. That's why each "episode" will be designated in the chapter title as part 1, part 2, etc. However, I also have offshoots of the story which will make sense after reading certain chapters and I will try to let you know when it would make sense to read them.**

**Drabbles you can read:**

**"Gate Economics 101" - takes place a day before Moonstone chapter 2**

**Also, "The Alma Institute for Doll Rehabilitation" - as of yet unwritten, but fully planned, will be understandable after this chapter, Moonstone ch 4.**

_Like Always, please read and review! Thank you._

* * *

**Ch 4. The Wedding Pt. 2**

When Misaki and Saitou returned to the table, November 11 and July were already seated; April was by the bar, guzzling down her third can of beer.

"You look dashing, Misaki," November said to her. "No wonder that man couldn't take his eyes off you."

"Wha—?" Misaki blushed. "No, no Li is just a friend!" How long had he been sitting there watching her?

"And _I'm_ the one who can't pick up on emotion," November teased her. For a contractor, he certainly seemed to have great social skills. He was in his usual white suit, red tie, and light blue shirt. "Huh," he said, looking somewhere else.

"What?" Misaki asked.

"Do you see the girl with red hair over by Table 2?"

The girl in question was a little hunched over, almost caving in on herself. Short red hair jutted out from her head and she was dressed in a very simple pale yellow dress. The white flower barrettes in her hair just looked out of place. "Yes. What about her?"

"Her name is Havoc. I came to Japan with orders to capture or kill her," November said bluntly, "And now look at her, having shrimp cocktails at a wedding without a care in the world."

"And they just reversed your orders?" Misaki asked. It certainly fit with what she had gathered about MI6 being part of a larger organization.

"Well, not exactly. My boss, Decade, was disposed of and his orders were void after that."

Just like what happened with Hourai…"I wish I could just talk to her, maybe find some sort of clue as it what—"

Before she was even done speaking, November had taken her by the arm and was leading her one table over. The girl—Havoc—looked up with large green eyes, assessing November and then a flustered Misaki, reading their nametags without a visible reaction. Her own nametag read, "Carmine."

"Well, I'll be…Havoc. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance," November said smoothly, sticking his hand out, as if he hadn't last week received orders to target her. "I'd like you to meet my friend, Section Chief Misaki Kirihara."

"Hello," she said blankly. If she was surprised by their sudden appearance, she didn't show it. "So you know of me then?" She tapped her nametag in explanation. Clearly, November knew Carmine wasn't her only name.

"Only by way of rumors and nightmares," November said casually. "Nothing too concrete. Misaki, on the other hand knows less than I do…"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't know," Carmine said softly. She turned her back slightly to them, enough to keep them in sight, but to show that she wasn't comfortable with their presence. The green-eyed contractor gazed around the room, looking ill at ease to be around so many people. Misaki thought that she didn't seem particularly dangerous. Though looks could be deceiving, Carmine looked to be undernourished, a little frail, just like a bird. Why would MI6 have sent November 11, one of their top operatives, to handle her? "So what brings you, a police chief, to the wedding? Did Hei invite you?"

"H-Hei?" Misaki asked, vaguely remembering that name from somewhere.

"Oh," Carmine said, smiling to herself. "I _see_ …That man from earlier, his nickname is Hei. It means black in Mandarin, which complements his sister, Bai, which means white. It's just a nickname, though. What do you call him?"

"I call him Li," Misaki said, a little affronted that she was never invited to call him by his nickname.

"So, you know the family pretty well?" November asked, fishing for answers. He had never had access to her full file, and therefore didn't know that Hei and Bai were on her team in South America. He did know that carmine, black, and white were all colors though, just as with Amber, and a thought began taking form in his mind. Whether Misaki saw it or not, he wasn't sure.

That didn't necessarily mean that this Hei or Li was a contractor, or even a criminal, just that there was more to the story, more than what would meet the eye. For all he knew, Bai was given a name recently at Atlas' behest to mark her symbolically as being _owned_ by his organization and her brother naturally got a name to complement her color. November would keep this in mind next time he saw the Chinese exchange student.

"We were like a family once," Carmine said, referring to Bai and Hei. "I hope we can be that way again. We changed a lot over the years, but for the better, I think. Though now…" she trailed off, watching as Yin petted Mao and talked with Huang. "I'm worried if I'll fit in again."

"Oh, there's always some use for _us_ ," November said, cheerfully. "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, thanks." Carmine was startled herself that she was thanking this MI6 agent, but if felt somehow right. "I have to go now. Bai and Atlas are arriving at exactly six o'clock and it's my job as the maid of honor to make sure she's okay."

As the frail looking contractor walked away from them, Misaki noticed how Dr. Shroeder and Mr. Nishijima were following her every move. What would PANDORA want with a contractor that defeated looking?

"She's a Regressor," November said suddenly. "I was told that she lost her powers at the end of Heaven's War."

"What? That can happen?"

November shrugged. "Anything can happen."

Misaki watched as Carmine passed by the table where a silver-haired girl with the cat was and was startled to realize that she remembered them from the day before. Carmine said a few words to them, causing the older man to shake his head before moving on.

If anything were really possible, then maybe BK-201 could rise from the dead. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Even if he was here though, it wasn't like Misaki knew his face or what he looked like. It was difficult enough to even guess which guest was a contractor or a human, and even if she managed to catch the dead Black Reaper, she could hardly just arrest him at a wedding. It felt impolite somehow.

"We better sit down," November said. "I have a feeling that the festivities are going to begin."

Misaki nodded, and together they took their seats back at Table 3, where April, July, Kanami, Kouno, Ootsuka, and Saitou were waiting. She tried not to stare at the silver-haired girl, Yin, the cat, and the older man who was the father. They were friends with Li, she knew that, and Li or rather Hei was friends with Carmine, which she just found out. Still though, she felt a sense of drowning, like she didn't know Li as well as she thought she did at all. Li was just an exchange student. Of course he would have friends and a past and a sister. It wasn't like they were close or anything, even if they did manage to run into each other more times than she could count.

"I'm ready to leave," Huang said a table over after Carmine left. Unlike November, he had gotten to read Carmine's full file the Syndicate had on her and didn't want to be around her any longer than necessary. Powers or no powers, that girl was deadly. "Just being around so many of you freaks is giving me hives."

"Oh calm down, Huang," Mao said, "Yin, can you pass me the tuna?"

Yin passed him the tuna, wrapped in a little piece of lettuce.

"There's not going to be any attacks on this place. Yin already scanned it twice over and Hei took care of everything, already. You know he won't let anything happen to his sister, not after he just found her."

Huang was just about to retort, when the doors of the ballroom opened, revealing a pretty young woman in a white and red dress, a severe looking young man in a suit, and at their sides, Hei (smiling like he wasn't an assassin and was just the silly younger brother who was completely ignorant of the fact that his sister was one of the new leaders of the Syndicate), Carmine (who completely scared the shit out of him), and a woman dressed in a priestess gown.

It was this last woman that took Huang's breath away, and a name he thought he had learned long ago to forget was suddenly all he could say. "Shihoko…" Huang whispered.

.oOo.

It wasn't a very traditional wedding, and as the bride and groom made their way to the front of the ballroom where a simple arch of white flowers stood, a hush overcame the crowd. People craned their necks to get a better look at the odd couple who had summoned them here, many of them coming without even knowing who Atlas or Bai was, just that it was imperative for them to be here. Few came due to direct orders from their higher-ups. A few came just for the fun.

Misaki watched as Hei and Carmine stood to either side of the two, while the woman in oddly patterned white and red robes stood before them. That woman took out a small notebook from her sleeve and began to read.

"When the Gates first came upon the land, the earth was in chaos. Stars panicked and fled and the moon vanished without a trace." Shihoko's voice was crystal clear and seemed to hold the audience captive. "In the sky appeared new stars that drew their powers from the sun, each one a curse and a gift." She turned a page. "The moon calls out to be free again, but only under a world at peace. At peace with its pieces, in a future of coexistence." The woman put the book back in her sleeve and raised her hands towards the heavens. "Today, we are gathered here to witness the wedding of Atlas and Bai, a coming together of two worlds in union. Bai, do you accept the terms of partnership?"

Bai looked deeply into Atlas' eyes. "I do."

"Atlas, do you accept the terms of partnership?"

"I do."

"So mote it be!"

The two leaned across the distance and kissed each other, to which there was an odd sort of tentative applause. Then more people began to applaud, and then the entire room was clapping. Personally, Misaki found it sort of sweet, even if it was a little out of the ordinary. The odd group of five took their seats at the head table, before Atlas stood up and clanked his glass with a spoon.

"If I may?" Atlas said politely, even though his voice carried through the whole room. "I'd like to take this moment to confess that I had other reasons for bringing you all here. I have an announcement to make about the future of this organization and it is time that it operated out of the shadows. Whether you are aware of it or not, everyone here, barring a few exceptions, is here because they are employees of Olympus...or should I say the Syndicate?"

Someone in the room spit out their wine at that and was coughing in the back. But many contractors, like November, were nodding along politely like they were listening to a particularly intriguing podcast. How had these people not known or not cared enough to know where their orders were coming from? Misaki wondered, before reminding herself that she was in the same boat.

"The Syndicate, and you can quote me on this, is promising to change, starting today. When my father met his untimely death earlier this week, the Syndicate was on a collision course with disaster. They wanted to destroy the Gate without fully considering the consequences of such a drastic action. We no longer desire this outcome. If we work together, contractors, dolls, and humans, we can all profit from the Gate and all that it has to offer. This is my promise."

The man sat down after that, and the room gradually resumed their side conversations as the main course was served to them. It seemed odd that no one was throwing a fit over this revelation and that this Atlas was so openly discussing the organization, this _Syndicate_. Maybe, in another life, she would have hunted down the mysteries of the Syndicate, but she got the feeling that Atlas would tell her everything she wanted to know, would tell everyone everything. The mystery was solved before she even knew where to look. It was oddly disconcerting.

"What's bothering you, Misaki?" April asked, twirling her pasta on her fork and taking a huge bite.

"I just…" Misaki looked around her, at the faces of her friends. "He just called it the Syndicate. Just like that. No plea deal, no guilt. He didn't even seem worried people would retaliate!"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, they probably already handled any dissenters," April said pointedly. "Besides, we're rational. Contractors switch sides all the time. The Syndicate doesn't seem to be a threat to us, and if this Atlas is telling the truth, then we've been working for them for a while now."

"But-but doesn't that bother you?" Misaki asked.

"That we've been lied to?" November asked thoughtfully. "No, not particularly. I trust that Atlas is telling the truth in this and that's all that really matters. More wine, Misaki?"

She shook her head.

"Chief, do you want us to do anything?" Saitou asked, speaking for the rest of Section 4.

"Not at the moment, just stay alert."

"Got it."

Eating fish and pasta and rice and chicken…having wine with little balls of butter on fresh sourdough buns...not to mention the chocolate fondue fountain! Kouno and April were busy telling the group a story about how a black cat got chased by a little old lady down a whole block, causing her team to cry from laughter. It was all so weird, knowing this wasn't a normal charity ball that her father had dragged her to, but a wedding for a crime boss and his wife. And no attacks either, which was refreshing. If anyone could provide security, she supposed it would be the Syndicate. All that was missing for this to be a truly out of this world experience was BK-201…

Just when Misaki was finally able to enjoy herself, a shadow fell over their table.

"Uh, ex-excuse me." Li stood there awkwardly, "Uh, Atlas and my sister, Bai, are requesting July, Kanami, Ootsuka, Saitou, and Kouno in the meeting room. It's through the right door in the back by the wedding cake. Dr. Schroeder will also be joining you."

"Huh?" Kouno asked.

"They found a replacement for Director Hourai," Li explained, "And, uh, since Section 4 is part of the Syndicate and Hourai used to be, but now he's um, dead now, they thought now was a good enough time as any to establish new relationships before work starts on Monday." Li flashed them a disarmingly cute smile.

"Oh," Kanami said. Between Li's smile and the scary looking security guards on the walls, the group quickly made their way towards the designated door, though Kanami shot Misaki one last look behind her. Around the room, Misaki noticed that other groups of people were headed to other doors too. This now, was the real purpose of the gathering.

"Anything for us?" November asked, as if he were asking for the dessert menu.

"Uh, yes…" This time Li looked decidedly uncomfortable. "November 11, is that right?"

"That would be me."

"Oh, good! If November 11, Misaki, and April would please come with me. We'll be going to the Red Room."

Misaki grabbed her purse with her gun in it just in case, before following Li cautiously through another door. November and April were by her side, so why was she feeling so anxious all of a sudden?

"Li, I have to ask. Did you know about any of this?" Misaki asked.

"You mean about what my sister does for a living, handling contractors?" Hei asked, bending the truth just a little bit, and making it seem like his sister definitely wasn't an ex-contractor who separated herself from his body mere hours ago.

"Yes," Misaki said, "I mean, all this time, you knew I worked for the police catching contractors, right?"

"You do?" Li asked.

"Not always catching," November chimed in helpfully, "Sometimes working together."

"I never really thought about it before," Li said mildly as they reached the door to the Red Room. "Like I said, my sister and I haven't seen each other in a while." He paused. "Does this mean you're a contractor, November 11? And you too, April?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Misaki answered, "November is hardly a normal name."

There was a beat of silence, enough to cause Misaki's breath to hitch.

"Well, sometimes non-contractors get codenames too," Li said quietly as he opened the door.

"Like Hei?" Misaki said quickly, clearly, as if she were accusing him of a thousand crimes neither of them could say.

She watched as he stiffened, straightening his posture. He glanced over his shoulder with a playful glint in his dark blue eyes, and she suddenly felt like she was seeing him for the very first time.

" _Exactly_ like Hei."


	5. Into PANDORA, Part 1

**A/N: An update a day early! Woot woot!**

* * *

**Ch V. Into PANDORA, Part 1**

Misaki looked around her apartment one last time, having checked and rechecked that she had everything she needed for the unforeseeable future. Her dishes were washed and put away, and what few clothes she had were stowed in her bag. The blue dress was stored in the closet—no use packing that. Life as she knew it was about to change, and oddly, she felt ready for it.

Was it the death of BK-201 that made her feel antsy and restless at her old job? She wasn't sure, only that the future was here, now, and she wanted to have a say in how this world of the future shaped out. The New Syndicate had wasted no time in forming new teams to be sent out into the world that very evening and now Misaki was one of them—knowingly, at least.

She thought back to the meeting in the Red Room, with November 11, April, Li, and then Atlas. During the meeting, Li wasn't as carefree as his usual self and his eyes seemed darker somehow. She hoped he wasn't too offended by her questions and that even if he _did_ go by Hei at times, he was still willing to be her friend. While there was a sharp sort of intelligence around him that she had never picked up on before, she certainly had not gotten the vibe that he was extremely dangerous like a wanted criminal or anything.

Hei was still Li, who just happened to get sucked into this world due to his family affiliations. That wasn't something she could blame him for. After all, it wasn't any secret that Misaki joined the police force by following in her father's footsteps. Had their roles been reversed, Misaki wasn't so sure she wouldn't be in the same situation Li now found himself in.

November 11 had listened politely while Atlas outlined the plan for the New Syndicate and their collaboration with Alma, the founder of the gate-based religion. It seemed that the New Syndicate had two goals in mind: 1) to help dolls reach their full potential and for them to be treated as equals and 2) to ensure peace between contractors and humans for years to come. It was this second goal that their team was charged with, while Section 4 and Astronomics, working together as a new team, dealt mainly with the first one.

"So essentially, you want us to go around, rescuing dolls and collecting gate-related items before any of the other agencies can get their hands on them?" April had asked, scratching her head beneath her eccentric, turquoise blue hair.

Atlas nodded. "Essentially, yes. We have reason to believe that our move to operate more transparently will cause other organizations to panic, acting in more overt ways that will most definitely endanger civilians and others in their race to grab power. Your first mission together as a team will be to infiltrate PANDORA. Though the Syndicate is powerful, we know that many other intelligence agencies have moles in essentially all levels of power there. News of the Syndicate's change in plans will travel fast, and when that happens, I expect there will be an attempt to smuggle our exclusive doll programming information out of the facility."

"With all due respect, sir," Misaki said, "but if you own PANDORA, why can't the Syndicate just get it themselves?"

"I am," he smiled, "With you."

Oh. That's right.

Atlas took pity on her and gave her a small smile. "It's a lot to take in, I know, but you'll get used to it Chief Kirihara. To address your question more fully though, yes, I could ask our people in PANDORA to get it out of there, but there is a chance that going through the proper channels would just provide more opportunities for other agencies to intervene. That's why I'm assigning this task force, my _best_ task force for the job." He placed a flash drive onto the table. "This contains the passcode to get onto the computer system. After downloading the doll programming files, destroy the main drive and leave. Nothing else needs to be touched. We will send someone to meet you at 8th and Kurumi, 6pm to pick it up."

There was something about taking and destroying international property which bothered Misaki, but she supposed it was all for the best. They would use the information to aid in the _Alma Institute for Doll Rehabilitation_ , a new center that Astronomics was supposed to create with money given to them by the founder, Alma, for rescued dolls to recover. That was what Kanami had told her later, anyway.

A woman named Shihoko, one of Alma's followers, would be the ambassador between Astronomics and the Friends of the Gate, while the man that Kanami identified as Yin's father, Huang, would be taking over for Director Hourai and overseeing the entire process. It was interesting to say the least. Dolls needing rehabilitation was an almost foreign concept considering they had been used as extensions of circuitry for the past ten years. Then again, July was more functional than the dolls in the Astronomics observatory. Who was to say they couldn't regain their humanity if given the chance out of the tanks?

Misaki sighed. How had her life flipped completely upside-down in just 48 hours? And now, she was supposed to meet her new team, November, April, and _Hei_ at a hotel for planning their operation. She understood why Atlas thought that November and April would make the best Syndicate team—they were contractors, the best that MI6 had to offer. But her? She was just a cop. Quick on her feet, intelligent, yes, but wouldn't she be better utilized working for Section 4 still? They worked well together and that type of trust just couldn't be replaced. Technically, she reminded herself, she was still a member of Section 4, but in a truer sense she knew that it wouldn't be the same again. She could already feel herself thinking about her new team as _her_ team and that worried her.

And Li? Or rather, Hei? Misaki shook her head. The charming Chinese exchange student who just happened to have a crazy family. Misaki hated to think it, but the only reason she could see for Hei being included on this "bestof the Syndicate" taskforce was…NEPOTISM. Urgh! She hated herself for thinking that, as she was absolutely pissed off when people suggested that of her and her father, but what was she to think? That Hei was some sort of, she didn't know, secret underworld operative?

Yeah, right.

Misaki cracked a smile. At least she had a friend, she thought. Things could be worse. _Yeah_ , Kanami had told her over the phone that night, _Sounds like a terrible ordeal, Misaki. Hanging out with Li, working together to bring justice to the world? Yes, that's a total bummer…_

.oOo.

Hei put down his bag in the hotel suite. It just had the essentials: knives, clothes, other weapons, his mask (hidden in a false bottom rolled inside some black t-shirts) and his telescope. The Syndicate was no longer going to pay for his old apartment anymore while he was on the move, and the thought of it collecting dust in the safe house he had depressed him. He had brought it along to so many countries and missions that it really wasn't a hassle to drag it halfway across the city.

The suite was nicely furnished, better than many of the hotels they had lodged him in over the years. Maybe they just wanted to impress their new operatives or, much more likely, they were going to be here a while. A fully functioning kitchenette was to the immediate right of the doorway, while the left of the kitchen had a small seating area, two couches, a coffee table, and a television. Beyond that was a small balcony where four white plastic chairs were stacked on top of each other. In front of him were two bedrooms, each with a king-sized bed and a private bathroom connected to each of them. While he didn't _want_ to room with November 11, he supposed the women would want a room to themselves, so he placed his bag in between the two bedrooms against the wall. There. They'd work on the room situation later…

First thing was first: scan for bugs. Hei was an expert at detecting hidden cameras and recording devices. Even if it was just a local feed for the hotel owners to protect their property and not a rival organization, (though even that could be hacked and rerouted) Hei still didn't want any of their time there to be recorded. He opened all the cabinets quietly above the kitchen sink, the fridge (fully stocked!), couch cushions, behind the television, lights, electric sockets, bathroom taps, fire detectors, tissues boxes, picture frames, door knobs,…He was just about to put the flower vase back on the kitchen counter when the door opened.

"Ah, you're already here!" April said happily, dragging a gargantuan suitcase behind her. November 11 stood next to her and took off his sunglasses. A smaller bag was slung over his arm. "And decorating too. Love the flowers!"

"Oh, I didn't—"

"Well, One-one, let's get comfortable before Misaki arrives and puts us to work." With a wink at Hei, she led November 11 into the bedroom across from the kitchen...Maybe the two contractors were closer than he had originally thought? But then, that left…Hei passed a tired hand over his face. It didn't change anything. Misaki still wasn't here yet and the room assignments weren't set in stone. Worst case scenario, he'd just sleep on the couch.

"Ah, a balcony. How considerate of them," November said, exiting the bedroom. "We're in a non-smoking room, I checked."

"You, uh, you smoke, November?" Hei asked in his Li voice.

"Unfortunately, it's my price. Speaking of which." November walked over next to Hei, nearly invading his personal space as he opened up the fridge. "Seems like they know us well, April. Why am I not surprised?" He took a can of beer from the door holder and held it up like a trophy.

"Perfect," April grinned, plucking the beer can from his hand and sticking it right back in the fridge. "Maybe tomorrow I'll indulge myself. Beats smoking, anyway."

November made a face.

It was this carefree kind of banter that made Hei almost like them—almost. Contractors were liars and unlike Mao, he didn't know these MI6-turned-Syndicate-agents. They had seemed onboard with the whole "we've taken over the Syndicate and we've moving in a new direction" pretty well, but that didn't mean they were loyal to the Syndicate or to him. For all he knew, they'd grab the PANDORA files and retreat back to MI6. It was a stupid idea to betray the Syndicate, so it wasn't very likely, but only time would be able to tell.

There was a sharp knock on the door announcing Misaki Kirihara's arrival. She entered the suite, back in her normal business attire and glasses.

"I didn't realize I was late," Misaki said, frowning at the three occupants. She had brought a duffle bag with her, larger than Hei's but smaller than April's. She couldn't remember the last time she had had a "sleep over" before.

"No problem, Misaki. We just got here ourselves," November said.

Misaki looked at the bag on the floor and placed her bag next to it. Standing up, she brushed herself off to get rid of any wrinkles. "This is a nice place…I thought it was just going to be a room, not a massive suite."

"Uh yeah," Hei said, smiling, "The Syndicate has a lot of money to throw around. Did you know there's even a pool and hot tub on the first floor?"

"Now you don't have to stop your morning swim, Misaki," April teased.

"Yeah, good to know." Misaki thought it was strange, being here in this room. There was something decidedly jarring about seeing Li sandwiched between two powerful contractors. He didn't seem to mind it though. Except for the slight tension in his posture, she wouldn't have known he was uncomfortable at all. "So, Li—" Misaki began tentatively.

"You can call me Hei," he said, realizing just how important it was for her to know him. "We're on the same team now."

"Oh," Misaki said, fighting to keep the blush from her face, " _Hei_. Well, I, um, I hope you aren't upset about my line of questioning earlier. It's just been a long day and well, even if Bai _is_ your sister, that doesn't change who you are. We all do what we need to for our family."

Hei nodded, relieved that it didn't seem to change anything between them, even if he was hiding a lot from her, more than she knew.

"Thank you, Misaki."

"Not to interrupt," November 11 said smoothly, "But perhaps we should all go sit down over there and talk about our mission tomorrow?"

"Right, of course," Misaki said. She sat at the couch facing the television while April sat down beside her. The other couch was facing the balcony and was at a right angle to the first. Hei sat closest to her on that couch, leaving November 11 to sit next to him on the edge. Misaki could feel how close Hei was to her and felt a need to say something intelligent, something to prove herself to the people here—to him. She tapped her fingers against her knee, thinking. "I honestly don't know much about breaking into an international laboratory. PANDORA doesn't even have floor maps open to the police department, and the main entrance is out of the question. Even our dolls don't have jurisdiction that close to the Gate."

"There's an eastern entrance," Hei spoke clearly, startling everyone. "They use it to deliver cargo and research materials twice a day. We can enter through there."

"How do you know that?" November asked. He was surprisingly impressed.

Hei shrugged. "I'm a tactician for the Syndicate. I know my way around things, buildings, people…" He was purposely vague and only partially lying. His role as the Black Reaper did include coming up with strategy, but it was not his sole responsibility.

"Is that how you know Carmine?" Misaki asked before she could stop herself. Was it rude to ask something like that? If this were an interrogation she wouldn't have cared, but she found herself caring _a lot_ about what Hei thought.

"Yes," Hei lied again. It was lying by omission. Half-truths and half-lies. He was riddled with them. "After my sister joined the Syndicate, I didn't have a choice. Either I joined them or forgot Bai ever existed. So I joined—nothing violent," he lied, "er, if I could help it. Just strategy. That's how I met Carmine."

"It sounds like you were a good brother," April said sincerely, thinking of how she felt about July.

"So you were involved in Heaven's War?" November asked. Of course, November would choose to focus on that, Hei thought, silently locking his jaw.

"Yes. But don't ask me what happened at the end. I don't know what happened." That part was true.

"Well, we're glad to have you on our team," April said, reaching over and squeezing his hand unexpectedly. Misaki couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She coughed.

"So, back to the plan. We all enter in through this eastern entrance. Then what?"

"Not all of us."

"What?"

"November 11 and April should go first. They're contractors and will be able to make a diversion away from the room we need to go to. In the chaos, you and I can grab the files."

"What if we run into trouble?" Misaki asked. "I have my gun, but..."

"I'm a terrible shot," Hei said, scratching the back of his neck. "But I'm decent at self-defense and I'm pretty good with a knife."

"This isn't like cooking," Misaki sighed, shaking her head. She was beginning to worry for him. Maybe he knew about breaking into PANDORA, but he could be a liability if he were on the ground with them. He wasn't a contractor and he didn't know how to shoot.

"I don't think he was talking about cooking, Misaki," November said with a light laugh. "Were you, Hei?"

Hei shook his head. "Like I said, I worked for the Syndicate for years. I didn't kill if I could help it, but you just don't last that long without knowing some defensive moves."

Misaki still wasn't convinced. Hei kill someone? He might have a mysterious past and a sister who needed some sort of protection, but Hei was a pacifist at heart. She couldn't imagine him hurting a fly, let alone taking on contractors, but she could tell she wasn't going to be able to exclude him from the mission on the basis of _I'm worried about you_. Besides, he had valuable information about the landscape of PANDORA, possibly the only one who did. She couldn't deny that his expertise would come in handy.

"Alright, and we'll all make sure to check in with each other using the earpieces Atlas gave us," Misaki confirmed. They all nodded.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hei saw a specter appear from the metal lamppost. He made no indication that he saw it though, but April smiled at it. At about the same time, he noticed Yin's specter appear in the flower vase on the kitchen counter. It warmed his heart to know that she was watching over him, but he couldn't say anything to her without everyone else knowing _what_ he was.

"Misaki, I thought Astronomics only had mediums that used electricity," April asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"Yes, that's right."

"Well, it seems we have an uninvited guest," November said, rolling up his sleeves. "And to think the Syndicate would have protected us a little better."

Hei had to think fast before his new team did something drastic to counter the supposed spy. "Is it a water doll?" Hei asked innocently, causing everyone to once again stare in his direction. Hei put his hands up in mock surrender. "I can't see them," he lied, feeling a blush creep up his neck, "It's just that I used to work closely with a water doll named Yin."

That seemed to calm the two contractors down, but Misaki just raised an eyebrow. "That silver haired girl from before?" she asked. "I had no idea she was a doll." Though in hindsight she should have seen the signs. The girl had been pretty docile, blank even, but much more alert than any of Astronomics' mediums and even a little livelier than July, the only doll she'd really interacted with.

"Oh yeah," Hei said. There was no point in hiding it as he knew July and Yin would be working with Huang and the rest of the new team to put together some rehab center for dolls at Alma's request. They would find out sooner or later that Hei was connected with them and that he knew who and what Yin was all along. "She's pretty independent though," he said. "I guess she got worried and wanted to keep an eye on us."

"Just like July," April mused. "It's going to be hard not working with him for a while, but I know he's needed elsewhere. Probably working with your Yin." She gave him a side-long glance. "Just how close were you two, Hei?"

"We were…partners," Hei finally said. He hadn't always felt that way, but he knew it now that she was his equal, like brother and sister. In a way, he had taken care of her the way he had always looked after Bai, but Yin had done the same, saving his life on more than one occasion. Hei had said it with such compassion that Misaki couldn't help but feel put out. Maybe Yin was the one Hei had been buying those clothes for when she had approached him in the department store. It wasn't like it was any of her business though. Hei noticed Misaki's change in mood and quickly added, "It was strictly a professional relationship. I would never take advantage of Yin…in that way," he sputtered.

"Oh." Misaki felt marginally happier. As they worked out the details for tomorrow's invasion into the night, Misaki couldn't help but feel that maybe Kanami was right. Maybe things weren't so bad after all. By the end, they had all reached a sort of comradery, when Hei got up a stretched. He walked over to his bag and pulled out his telescope to set up on the balcony. When he caught sight of their faces, he laughed.

"It's a hobby of mine," he said, before opening the door and letting himself outside.

"Strange guy," November muttered to himself. "He knows they aren't the real stars and yet he can't stop looking."

Misaki felt a sudden urge to join Hei outside, but before she could decide whether or not it would be too forward, April was already by Hei's side.

"Don't look so depressed, Misaki," November said, clearly aware of what she had been thinking without making it too obvious he had been studying her. "It's clear Hei's crazy about you."

" _What_?"

"Well, just the way he looks at you," November said. "At the party tonight, and then now. April's just trying to get to know our new teammate. That's all."

"Yeah, I guess." Never in a million years would Misaki have thought she would be discussing her feelings with a contractor, but that was her life now.

"Besides, April already has me!" November smirked. "That was a joke. It's more a matter of friendship and _convenience_."

"November, I really don't need to hear details."

"You'd find out eventually." November shrugged. He got a pensive look on his face as he looked at the police officer. "How long have you known, Hei?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You seem to know him quite well. Somehow I don't think you pegged him as the Syndicate type, though."

"What are you implying?" Misaki asked sharply.

"I'm not sure." November frowned. "But he knew Havoc, excuse me, Carmine, and he was active during Heaven's War. But I agree with you, Misaki, he just doesn't seem like he has the personality to even _survive_ Heaven's War…Quite the mystery."

Misaki relaxed back into the vegan leather couch. "He certainly knows his stuff, that's for sure. I just don't know how good he'll be in a combat situation. Maybe I'm just overthinking this." She could see April and Hei chatting about something that made them both laugh. April didn't seem worried about the mission tomorrow and neither did November. Maybe she was just worrying for no reason. Or maybe it was because she was a police officer and breaking into PANDORA went against everything she thought she knew.

"Well I'm going to bed!" November announced, perfectly timed with when the balcony door slid open again.

"Right there with you, One-One," April said, walking towards their bedroom. "Goodnight Hei, goodnight Misaki!" She tossed a mischievous grin over her shoulder, before November shut the bedroom door behind them.

And then, Hei and Misaki were alone.

* * *

**A/N: There's only one bedroom left for our two love birds. Dun dun dun! What will happen? Like always please R &R!**


	6. Into PANDORA, Part 2

**A/N: Wow! two updates in one week? Thank you for all the reviews! They must make me update faster or something...**

* * *

**Ch 6. Into PANDORA, Part 2**

"So you like to watch the stars?" April asked, stepping onto the balcony after her new teammate.

"Yeah," Hei said. He was assembling the telescope and focusing the lens as he spoke. He knew she was standing by his left by the sound of her voice.

"I'll show you mine and November's, if you like. That's one of the first things I wanted to learn after I became a contractor—which star was mine."

"Really?" Hei asked politely. Learning which star belonged to Bai was one of the first things Hei had figured out too. As often as she used it, it wasn't as challenging as he thought it would be. Now though…He focused the telescope around that point where BK-201 was supposed to be located. Nothing. That part of space existed as a dark void.

"A little selfish of me, I know," April continued. "But contractors get attached to their stars. Who can blame us? And when a star falls…it's one less of us in the world. Even if I _did_ want to kill them at the time."

Looking at the sky now, Hei could see that many contractors across the world were currently using their powers. What they were doing or where they were, Hei didn't know, only that they twinkled far too innocently for his liking.

"Uh here," Hei said, wiping off the eyepiece with a cloth. "Maybe you'll be able to see your star close up." He stepped away from the telescope, taking a white chair from off the stack of chairs and setting it down on the wooden floor.

April approached the telescope with open curiosity and peeked through it. She gently moved where the telescope was pointed until it rested on her star, AR-132. "There, that's my star," she said, gesturing for Hei to come check it out. "AR-132, take a look."

"Oh, it's pretty," Hei said in his Li persona. He felt a little silly complimenting the ball of fire, which looked no different from any other ball of fire, but he knew that it would make April happy. Bai had always been fascinated with her star and Hei had tried his very best not to ever let it fall from the sky.

"Thanks," April said, clearly pleased. She then got control of the telescope again and aimed it a little higher up. "It's Novembers, NV-111."

"It's not as nice as your star," Hei teased.

"I won't tell him you said that," April said with a wink. The two looked out over the city for a moment, at the Gate which just existed in the middle of the city. "You know it's funny. Before Misaki, I never thought it was possible for a human who knew about contractors to get upset over a falling star."

"She has a large heart," Hei said with a tinge of pride.

"No, that's not it," April said, "Her team teased her relentlessly over it: BK-201. It became a sort of obsession for her."

Hei almost tore his eye from his telescope to stare at her in disbelief, but years of training taught him to stay still. "BK-201?" Hei asked softly. He could feel his heart begin to race and he focused on evening out his breathing before April noticed something was amiss.

"The Black Reaper," April said by way of explanation. "The world's most infamous contractor. Dead, just as we finally get to Tokyo!" She seemed oddly put out by this. Hei couldn't imagine why. If _he'd_ heard there was a deadly assassin named the Black Reaper, he would have tried to stay away as much as the Syndicate would allow. April turned to look at Hei and her eyes softened. "Don't worry though, Hei. His star's gone. Probably every intelligence agency has checked and double checked that fact." She shivered and pulled her magenta coat tighter around her. "I'm a contractor, Hei, but even we contractors get scared sometimes…I was worried November would go after him just to prove himself. Don't get me wrong, November is both skilled and rational, but his version of fun might have gotten us into trouble."

"And Misaki's upset that this criminal is off the streets?" Hei asked incredulously.

"It would seem so," April sighed, resting her chin in her hands. "She seemed to think that BK-201 was a contractor with a _heart_ beneath the mask he wore—and I mean that literally, his used to wear this creepy white mask. I don't know where she got that idea from, but she seems to believe it."

"Tell that to his victims," Hei said. The tone of his voice was unreadable.

April pierced him with a look. "Ever come across BK-201 in your work for the Syndicate, Hei?"

Hei met her serious gaze head-on and shook his head slowly. "I think I would remember a man with a mask."

"Good," April said brightly, throwing him completely off guard. "You're too good and cute to have nightmares about the fearsome Black Reaper."

"I'm not—!"

But April had opened the door, cutting him off. "Well I'm going to bed!" November had called out from the seating area.

"Right there with you, One-One!"

.oOo.

The two contractors had sequestered themselves into the first bedroom, shutting the door behind them. The two people left over stared at each other.

"I can sleep on the couch!" Misaki blurted out, just as Hei said, "You can have the bed."

The two looked at each other, assessing, deciding…

"I'm used to sleeping on a futon," Hei said, "A couch is a big step up, really."

"That's nonsense. You got here first."

Again, a stalemate. Hei sighed. This was exactly what he had been dreading ever since he found out there were only two bedrooms. In any other situation, he would not have cared whose body he shared a bed with as long as his back wouldn't be aching in the morning, but this was Misaki. She mattered.

Misaki drew herself up to full height and crossed her arms over her chest. "We're both adults here. I don't mind sharing a bed if you don't." There! She said it. Hei looked at her like she had grown two heads. "Just sleeping, mind you. We're going to be stationed here for the unforeseeable future and I don't see any point in making you sleep on the couch for that entire time. That's not fair for you, Hei."

"Okay," he said, giving in more easily than either of them anticipated.

"Oh, okay then," Misaki said, feeling deflated now that the battle was over. "Good…"

Hei picked up both his and Misaki's bag with little effort and took them into the room. Misaki followed after, just a little dazed, with a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. They got ready for bed in relative silence and awkward glances. Misaki used the bathroom first to shower, getting fully dressed in her pajamas with her wet hair in a towel before exiting. Then it was Hei's turn. He could still smell the fragrance of her shampoo in the shower and, like Misaki, decided to wear a tee-shirt and pajama pants to bed. That's what Li would do.

Hei sat on the right side of the bed, sliding in next to her. What was there to say? They sat like that, side-by-side, with their legs beneath the covers, and the bedside lamp on, in silence.

"I'm glad you're here, Hei," Misaki murmured, looking down at the sheets which covered them as if scared to look anywhere else.

"I'm glad you're here too…Misaki." He wanted to reach for her hand and squeeze it, to give her comfort that everything was going to be alright, but he didn't dare touch her.

She reached for her bedside lamp. "Good night, Hei." She turned it off, plunging half the room in darkness.

"Good night, Misaki." Hei did the same.

In the cover of darkness, it was a little easier to slide all the way beneath the covers, to pretend that it was going to be easy as pie, to slip into sleep. They both rolled on their sides, facing away from the other, maybe to minimize the awkwardness.

Misaki couldn't help but replay the events of the day in her head, all the way up to the present moment. She had cried herself to sleep the past few nights, mourning the loss of BK-201 in a way she knew must be irrational. Tonight, she didn't. She snuggled into the warmth of the bed and slowly drifted off, thinking of PANDORA and Hei and April and November…

Meanwhile, Hei could feel the white stone, heavy and cool against his chest, tucked beneath his shirt. What had Amber given him, really, that had made his star disappear from the sky? Irrationally, he felt guilty for keeping it a secret from the woman sleeping peacefully beside him. But the thought of announcing _I'm the Black Reaper!_ terrified him. Now, Misaki slept deeply. If Hei became BK-201 in her mind, he knew it was unlikely she'd willingly be near him ever again. Despite what April said about Misaki obsessing over him, he knew it was more of a police officer's love of the chase, that it was the adrenaline and dopamine rush that she confused with attraction.

Hei knew that he was lying to himself.

Hei also refused to think too deeply about what that could mean.

And his heart continued to beat beneath the moonstone.

.oOo.

When Hei woke up, in the very early hours of the morning, it was to find that he was spooning a certain attractive, black-haired individual. Shit! He was relatively certain that Misaki was still asleep (happy little spoon that she was) and he sighed out a breath of relief. Carefully, delicately, he extricated himself from the bed before padding out into the common room. The main light was still on, which was helpful as it was still a little dark outside, and the very beginnings of a sunrise were just showing on the horizon.

He wasn't sure when everyone typically got up, and as they didn't intend to invade PANDORA until around noon, when people were likely on lunch break or groggy in a post-meal haze, it wouldn't hurt if they all slept in a bit. Hei, however, was hungry. He knew that the kitchen area was fully stocked (courtesy of the Syndicate) from his bug sweeping yesterday: Eggs, rice, various vegetables, bean sprouts, chicken, and pasta were at his disposal, including silverware, bowls, pots, pans, a wok, and a few mediocre kitchen knives. Maybe having Bai in charge of the Syndicate had its perks.

Hei set the rice to cook before he started chopping up the vegetables…The smell which filled the entire suite was mouth-watering. No sooner had Hei scrapped the finished fried rice from the hot wok into a giant serving bowl than both bedrooms doors shot open at once. Everyone was dressed in some form of shirt-pant pajama combo. April's was a jade green silk, November's was dark and light blue stripes, and Misaki's was dark blue with little flowers on it. Misaki's hair was down around her shoulders, giving her a younger, more carefree look.

"Mmmm!" April sighed, taking in an exaggerated inhalation.

"When you said Hei could cook, Misaki, I had no idea he could really cook," November said, raising his eyebrows at the police woman.

Hei stood aside, gesturing for them to help themselves to breakfast. "I woke up early," Hei said with a sheepish smile. "I didn't want to wake you," he added to Misaki.

"This is wonderful, Hei," Misaki said warmly, serving herself a bowl of steaming hot fried rice after April and November had gone to sit at the counter. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and took a seat at the small kitchen table, watching Hei serve himself last. He really was very sweet, Misaki reflected. He could have just made enough for one, but instead decided to share the fruits of his labor.

Hei sat down opposite Misaki at the small table, happy to finally sate his appetite. The ingredients were fresh, the scallions still bright green, and the eggs had a sell-by date that wasn't for another week or so. "I thought it would be nice to have our first breakfast together," Hei said using his charming Li personality. "It's going to be a big day today."

Misaki couldn't help but think how domestic they all looked, sitting around the kitchen area, eating food that Hei himself had made. It beat her usual routine of McDoness chicken nuggets and fries. When she took her first bite, her eyes bugged open.

"Hei, you really made this?" Misaki exclaimed, despite all the evidence scattered around the kitchen sink and the fact Hei smelled positively wonderful—like fried rice.

"Yes, I used to make it all the time. It's no big deal really."

"It's better than wherever we get our takeout from!" Misaki said, still in awe, taking another heaping bite.

"Maybe I can teach you how to make it sometime?" Hei said. As if they weren't all trapped in the same hotel suite.

Misaki's eyes positively glittered. "You promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

**A/N: Aww, Misaki makes a great little spoon. Please R &R!**


	7. Into PANDORA, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reviewing! They make me so happy! Here's a cookie. <(0.o)>O

**Ch 7. Into PANDORA, Part 3**

Misaki's eyes positively glittered. "You promise?"

"Promise."

Just then, the most obnoxious ring tone known to humanity blared loudly in the hotel room: _Do-do-do-dodo-dodo! Da-da-da-dada-dada! Do-do-do—!_

"Oh, pardon…" November 11 reached inside his pajama pocket and pulled out a slim silver flip phone. "Hello, this is Jack Simon…mmhmm…yes…yes, I think so…Ciao."

"You have got to change that ring tone, November," April whined as November flipped shut his phone.

"The Syndicate called," November said, completely ignoring her, "They said they have a vehicle in the parking garage, spot 201. We can use it to get to PANDORA."

"Keys?" April asked.

"In the car, passenger glove compartment. Oh, and they said they'd be sending along a package. Apparently, the Syndicate has a strict dress code."

"They don't like my fur coat?" April pouted. "But I do my best work when I look my best!"

"How do they even know what size I am?" Misaki asked, outraged. The idea of an international crime organization, even one that she worked for, knowing that much about her was creepy. Had they gone through her closet when she wasn't looking? And when?

"They-er-have this Gate based technology," Hei volunteered. "They can guess your measurements by photographs and footage, not to mention your height and weight is on your driver's license. It's like elastic, but more durable…bullet-proof." It was what allowed Amber to so easily change from being five-foot-two to four-feet high without having to worry about a wardrobe malfunction.

"Huh," November said thoughtfully. A few minutes later, the package arrived, right on time. "Time to get dressed, everybody!" He passed out the thick yellow envelopes to their designated owners, then looked at Hei expectantly.

"I already have one," Hei explained. "It's not that old and I never use it, so I don't need a replacement." A few more lies wouldn't hurt anything. Besides, his black, full length body suit was in great condition as the material had self-healing properties for minor scrapes and cuts.

"Alright," Misaki laughed, "Just as long as I'm not alone in this get-up, I won't feel so self-conscious."

They went into their bedrooms again. Misaki, getting dressed in the bathroom, Hei getting ready in the bedroom, while November and April got ready on the other side of the wall.

Misaki pulled the sleek athletic material out of the envelope, feeling a pit settle in her stomach. She glanced at herself in the mirror and then back again at the fabric that was somehow supposed to fit around her entire body. It wasn't that Misaki wasn't fit or that she had an unhealthily distorted body image, it was that something this form fitting made her feel too exposed. She was much more comfortable in business attire, just as April was more comfortable in a fancy magenta, fur-lined coat. The material itself was soft, thick enough that she wouldn't be cold, but not too thick that it would be like lugging around an extra few pounds. It was dark blue, _really_ dark blue. At first she thought that it was black since it seemed to absorb all the light around it like a matte canvas, but in the light she could tell it was a deep navy color, the color of Hei's eyes…no, focus Misaki! Put on the bodysuit—what if they're all ready and waiting for you outside the bedroom already?

She quickly got out of her pajamas and stuck her one foot through the neck hole, aiming for the leg part. Then the other leg. She shimmied it over her hips and then got her arms through, one at a time. It was simpler than she imagined, but as soon as she had it on, it seemed to mold to her form, like a second skin. Gate technology, she reminded herself. Weird. She attached the waist holster and fitted her gun in it like normal, except it was so much closer to her skin now.

She took one last look at herself in the mirror, fixing her hair, and pleasantly surprised with the figure she cut. She couldn't help but admire herself, and wondered if Hei would like it—like _her_ in her new Syndicate approved burglary attire. Taking a deep breath, she opened the bathroom and stepped out. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that met her on the other side of the door.

"Hei?"

He was facing her—well, not her, the bed—dressed in the deepest, darkest black suit that made his silhouette hard to identify. He was looking intently at a collection of knives rolled out on the bed they had both shared the night before. Long knives, short knives, double-edged blades, folding blades, even one that looked like it was on a retractable wire that could be attached to a holster. Even though knives were BK-201's MO, Hei knew that many contractors also used knives and similar weapons. It wouldn't necessarily implicate him as the Black Reaper…and it helped that they all thought BK-201 was dead, too.

"Wow." Misaki managed to say. A thousand thoughts were racing through her mind, ranging from _Where did you get all those?_ to _I didn't know you knew how to use all those, Hei._ In his black outfit, Misaki could see how his movements possessed a sort of grace and fluidity, usually obscured by his slightly too large clothes.

Hei looked up at her, a faint blush staining his cheeks. "It suits you," he said.

"What? Oh! Well it's certainly different," Misaki said, "Not to mention you." She slapped a hand over her mouth. "I just meant—"

"No, it's okay," he laughed. She could almost believe he were simply Li again if not for the knives and the cat suits. "Oh um, I'm just trying to figure out what to bring today." His hands ghosted over one of the knives, then moved on to the next one. Finally, he picked up a small, wicked looking dagger and a little black object she hadn't noticed before and attached it to the thing around his waist. "Taser," he said with a grin. Hei knew that having his favorite wire-knife combo wasn't going to be helpful for hiding his identity if the man on the other end of his line were electrocuted. He could, however, get away with some electricity by passing it off as his taser, which is exactly why he had gotten it in the first place.

"You two ready in there?" April called teasingly from the other side of the door.

Hei began to wrap up the rest of his weapons and tucked them back into his overnight bag.

"Yes, ready," Misaki said after meeting Hei's eyes. They each put on their coats, hiding the weapons and outfits underneath, and the odd group of four made their way to the hotel parking garage, ear pieces in place, ready for their first mission.

.oOo.

Misaki parked the car a block away from PANDORA's eastern entrance. It wasn't too close that it would cause suspicion, but not too far that they'd have to traipse across the city in their athletic gear. November didn't even look out of place in the form fitting material, which for him was a dark grey, and April just looked like a very fit yoga instructor in a bluish-greyish bodysuit.

Hei sat next to her in the front passenger seat, looking out the window seemingly bored. In reality, he was taking in every minute detail in their surroundings, from the number of trucks going in and out of facility, to the number of traffic lights with potential cameras between them and where they needed to go.

"November and I will head for the entrance and try to draw them away from the programming room," April said. "I can cause localized weather incidents inside buildings, but it's better if I have a way to access the outside atmosphere."

"And you'll tell us when you've drawn them all to you?" Misaki confirmed.

"Of course, Misaki," November said, tapping the small radio in his ear. "But I think you'll know it when we blast the walls off."

The cop inside of her screamed in frustration. This was breaking so many international laws…"Just please try to keep it to a minimum!" Misaki begged.

"We'll try out best," April smiled. "No promises though."

"I think the last truck for the morning shift just left," Hei said, staring out the front window. "Most people should be heading to lunch right now."

November and April nodded and rolled out of the black vehicle. "Good luck!" April called. Hei watched them stealthily make their way over to the cargo loading and unloading dock. It was guarded around the clock, but much less heavily than the main entrance. This was mostly due to necessity since truckers didn't always know what materials they were transporting and the Syndicate wanted to keep it that way. They couldn't possibly hope to screen each and every trucker across the nation, who was probably transporting more than just PANDORA goods. Plus, tipping them off about the value of their cargo could lead to complications. More than once, they had sedated contractors labeled as "fragile" cargo that they had hidden among other innocuous supplies, like pipettes and gloves, without the truck driver being any the wiser.

"Testing, testing," came November's pleasant voice over their earpieces.

"It works," Misaki told him.

They sat in the car, waiting, listening to the sounds of the ensuing attack. At first, it sounded like a bunch of wind, then shouting, then the sounds of combat. In time with the transmission, a loud blast sounded from a spot a little ways from the entrance, causing a plume of smoke to rise from the building.

"Let's go," Hei said. They each jumped into action, sprinting from the vehicle to the entrance as fast as they could. It sounded like alarms had gone off in that section of the building and forces were being drawn on to take care of what was _undoubtedly_ a machine malfunction. They had planned this ahead of time: Misaki would go in first, locate the room, and download the hard drive onto the flash drive. Then they'd destroy the hard drive. Hei would act as her backup, making sure the process wasn't disturbed. They entered through the loading dock, waiting for a group of security guards to pass them, before continuing down the hallway.

Hei was aware of each motion-sensitive security camera that they passed, making sure to keep his head down and face out of sight. He was sure that the Syndicate would have a way to make those recordings _disappear_ after their mission, so he wasn't too concerned about Misaki being seen. Still, it was best to err on the side of caution. They could hear the commotion far down the hallway that November and April were stirring up, and knew that it was only a matter of time before people would figure out it wasn't just a two person team.

"In here," Misaki said, gesturing for Hei to quickly duck into the room. The first door didn't have any locks on it, but when they went inside, they were met with a seemingly frosted glass door (though it was probably bullet proof and made from Gate material) like a vault door, complete with a pin pad and heavy duty locks. Atlas had given them the code the day before in the Red Room: 0015, which she typed in hurriedly. Hei had seen small, highly secured rooms like these before. Only one person was allowed in at a time—could _fit_ inside the room at a time. Misaki would have to go in alone. "Are you coming?" Misaki asked as the glass-like door swung open.

Hei shook his head. "Only one of us can fit in there. Go, you only have a couple of minutes."

Misaki shot him one last worried look, perhaps doubting his ability to wield even the taser and the sharp little knife on his waist, but didn't have time to argue. He had gotten them this far into the mission from his knowledge alone. She would just have to trust that Hei could actually walk the walk. Inside the room, the glass was fogged, so she could only see a vague figure of Hei, waiting outside for her. In addition to this, sound was muffled, as if even the vibrations of soundwaves could disturb the delicate circuitry. She logged into the computer using the same password and plugged the flash drive into the side of the monitor. Now which file was the top secret doll programming software?

As the door shut behind her, Hei put his back to the cubicle, facing the outside door to the hall. It would only take one straggler to find them both here, and when that happened, he hoped he wouldn't have to kill them in front of Misaki. Not right away at least. As luck would have it, the doorknob turned. The security guard was a tall man, clean-shaven, with a muscular build. He had thought he heard voices in here and came to check it out.

"Hey, what are you doing—?"

Hei rushed at him, grabbing the barrel of his gun and slamming it down. The man tried to shoot at Hei, but his aim was off and the bullets hit the walls instead. The guard looked at the little sign on the door behind him that said IN USE and understanding fell into place. He wasn't trying to prevent Hei from entering the computer room, but had to get _through_ Hei to take down whoever was. As the guard thought this over, Hei slipped his knife into his hand. The man aimed an aggressive kick to Hei's upper body. Hei ducked and plunged the knife deep into his abdomen.

"So not a contractor?" the guard wheezed, clutching his wound. Hei didn't answer. The man pulled out his gun again, but instead of aiming for Hei, he turned it towards the frosted glass cubicle. It might be bullet-proof, but then again, it might not. And if it triggered some kind of alarm or mechanism that locked the user inside of the cubicle…Hei had to act fast. Hei grabbed the man by the arm holding the gun, forced it upwards so that the bullet hit the ceiling, and unleashed his power.

His body was outlined in a soft white glow as electricity flowed through him and into his target. The man's eyes widened in horror before he slunk to the ground, dead.

"How much longer?" Hei asked into the microphone.

"Just a couple more minutes!" Misaki said.

"I can get you three." That was November.

It didn't seem like Misaki had heard anything on the other side of the door. Relieved, Hei stood up and came face to face with another visitor. Unlike the man he had just killed, this girl was timid, dressed in a white lab coat and clutching her notes to her chest. She gazed at Hei in awe, as if he had performed a miracle of life instead of violently murdering someone.

"I'm Mina Kandaswamy," she introduced herself softly. "I work for the Syndicate. They said you'd be coming today…Hei."

By her posture, it seemed like she had come to talk and wasn't going to leave until she had said her piece. Hei carefully turned his microphone off, leaving the audio on in case Misaki or anyone else needed him.

"You're the mole."

She nodded. "And you're the bearer of the moonstone."

Hei's eyes widened dramatically. "What did you say?" With Mina, he didn't need to act. His voice was cold, hard, deadly. His thoughts went immediately to the little white stone he wore around his neck, wondering if it was visible, but knowing that it was not.

Mina swallowed, intimidated by his tone of voice, but her love of research kept her rooted to the spot. "The moonstone. It's what creates that white glow, like moonlight. It isn't safe to take it off anymore. After they cut funding and slashed the Saturn ring project, some people here have been working on smaller scale anti-contractor weapons against official orders. It doesn't work if you wear the moonstone, though."

The Saturn ring project? Anti-contractor weapons? Hei grit his teeth. Could he even trust her?

"How did you know I had it?" Hei demanded. The knife was still in his hand. He could still use it if need be.

"Your star disappeared," she said simply, as if it were obvious. "It's still there of course…just not _lit up_." A thunderous bang sounded from down the hall. The alarms were getting louder. "I have to go before they wonder where I am," she said. She backed out of the room, watching him with large, curious eyes, like a specimen she wanted to study. Then, she was gone.

"Just a little longer, I swear!" Misaki cried in his ear. There was something in her voice, a desperation that had Hei on edge. He turned his microphone back on. It was only supposed to take five minutes tops. What was taking her this long?

"We're heading back now," April said. "They're calling for reinforcements."

"Misaki, are you alright?" Hei called into his mic.

"Yes, I just…I'll explain later," she said. Quickly followed by a triumphant " _Got it!_ "

The sound of the cubicle unlocking its myriad cogs and gears preceded Misaki's appearance. The flashdrive was tucked into an invisible pocket on her suit, and her gun was in her hand. She looked around her, at the man on the ground, and then at Hei. The victim looked singed, electrocuted…and there were no broken lightbulbs that she could see that could have given off the flicker of white light she had seen moments ago through the frosted glass walls. Before Misaki could leap to any conclusions, though they would be the correct conclusions, Hei held up his taser sheepishly.

"I didn't know what else to do. He was aiming for you!" Hei said, clearly distraught.

Misaki mentally slapped herself. Of course, it was just the light from Hei's taser. She couldn't help but feel disappointed though—in an odd sort of way—that it wasn't from BK-201. Who was she kidding? BK-201 was _dead_ and the light she had seen had definitely been _white_ , not blue that would indicate Synchrotron radiation.

Hope was messing with her objective perception. With a soft look at her partner, who had just proven that he _could_ in fact take care of things, Misaki opened the door.

"Thank you, Hei, you're a life saver. Come on, let's get out of here."

* * *

**A/N: PLEASE R &R!**

**Hmmm...apparently an anti-contractor weapon has been developed by a resistance group...wonder who's a part of that.**

**Next episode: The Honey Trap (5 parts): A string of doll suicide bombers lead the team on their first doll rescue mission. But how to extract the information once they find out where the dolls are hidden? Strap in for an adventure!**


	8. The Honey Trap, Part 1

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! They make me smile! Here is a cookie: (O.o) O**

* * *

**Ch 8. The Honey Trap, Part 1**

Misaki and Hei climbed into the car, out of breath. November and April were in the back seat, waiting anxiously until they could get back to the hotel to fulfill their payments. It could be delayed for a little bit, but not for long. Misaki patted over the invisible pocket just to double check that the flash drive was still there before stepping on the gas.

When they arrived back at the hotel, they parked the car in spot 201 and took the garage elevator up to their private suite on the top floor. It only worked via the hotel access card, which Hei pulled out of his pocket and scanned against the elevator sensor. The first thing November did when they had unlocked the door was walk briskly to the balcony, whip out his pack of cigarettes and light up, puffing little smoke clouds into the sky. April headed straight for the fridge, for her beer no doubt.

"You have the flash drive?" Hei asked. "The drop off is scheduled for 6 pm, at 8th and Kurumi Street."

"Yes, I have it right here." Misaki took out the flash drive and placed it on the kitchen table in front of them, then walked into their bedroom to grab her laptop. "I just need to get something off of it first."

Hei's eyes flashed. She didn't…

"Does this have anything to do with why it took you longer than we planned?" April asked, smacking her lips and tossing the now empty can of beer into the recycling bin.

While April seemed openly curious, Hei seemed upset, angry even. Did Misaki not care that her life had been in danger? Did she believe the Syndicate wouldn't find out what she had done or forgive her for not following orders?

Misaki avoided looking into his eyes. Why should she feel ashamed? It was illegal what they were doing anyway. "We were going to destroy the hard drive forever," Misaki reasoned, "I couldn't just leave it there. It seemed important and I've learned to trust my gut over the years."

Her eyes held steel in them as she booted up her laptop and plugged in the flash drive. At about this time, November came in from the balcony.

"I was unaware your organization let you take a peak of the goods, Hei," November said mildly, taking in the scene in front of him.

"They don't," Hei said. His voice was hard, his worry for Misaki warring with the new knowledge that the Syndicate had changed. Just because his sister was alive now, seemed to have emotions now, didn't erase everything he had seen her do during Heaven's War. Had he pulled what Misaki just did, he would have covered his tracks better, kept it secret even from Mao, _not_ show everyone at the kitchen table. "Which is why we aren't going to tell them."

The file explorer popped up on her computer. New drive detected. She clicked it and everyone drew closer. "That's the file for the doll programming," she said, pointing to the folder labeled _Functionalizing Media_. "It was one of the only folders there, except for this one: _Saturn Mobilization_. My guess is that someone hid this file here, that it was supposed to be destroyed or discontinued, but someone moved it for safe keeping."

Mina's words from before came back to Hei then. So she had been telling the truth. "The Saturn Ring project was discontinued when the New Syndicate took power," Hei said, "It has something to do with anti-contractor weapons."

"How do you know that?" November asked at the same time that Misaki clicked open the document.

"I ran into one of the Syndicate's moles while on duty." Hei kept it purposefully vague, but it was enough for them.

"Anti-contractor weapons?" Misaki mused. "Well, that certainly puts this into context." She was hurriedly reading the words appearing on her screen, scared that they would somehow disappear before she got a chance to absorb their knowledge. "Dr. Schroeder—the man from the wedding—he was working at PANDORA on how to weaponize anti-Gate particles to destroy the Gate itself. If that were to happen then…" Her mouth dropped open in horror. Despite Atlas announcing that the destruction of the Gate had been the Syndicates ultimate plan, she hadn't known how close they had come to actualizing it.

"Then all the contractors on earth would disappear," April finished solemnly. "But it says it only works during the last phase of the Sun Spot Cycle."

"Good thing for us, I suppose," November said. "Remind me to thank your sister later, Hei."

"Do you think someone's already made these?" Misaki asked, pointing at the sketch of a gun prototype, still horrified. "Do you think that's why they wanted Carmine so badly?" She slapped a hand over her mouth, looking at Hei with wide eyes. She didn't want to hurt his feelings since she knew they were friends.

"They wanted Carmine?" Hei repeated blankly. "Yes. They would have strapped Carmine to a table and tested this device on her. A Regressor would be hard to pass up as an ideal lab specimen for contractor abilities." His clear expertise in the area made everyone wonder just what kinds of things Hei had also seen working for the Syndicate. "But they don't want her anymore, do they?" Hei asked, looking straight at November, despite the fact that no one informed him that it had been MI6's plan to capture her first.

"No."

"It says here," April said, breaking the tension. "That when the Gates first appeared, the moon became hidden but was still present, while the sun changed similarly to how humans change into contractors or dolls, which is why we have the Sun Spot cycle now. Contractors—hold on, November—get their powers from this new sun via electromagnetic waves that interact with their changed biology. As contractors use their power, they emit blue, synchrotron radiation which sends a secondary electromagnetic signal at their individualized wavelength to their star, causing it to twinkle brightly. By shooting anti-Gate particles at the contractor, we can disrupt their ability to communicate with the new sun. As a consequence, they won't be able to activate their abilities and their star will fall. Note: contrary to popular belief, their star is not linked to their life force, but to the constant low level emission of synchrotron radiation that is below the detection limit of current instruments. Being hit with the mobile Saturn device will cause the contractor to become ill. Sometimes it is fatal."

"That's some file you got there, Misaki," November said in the silence. "But it's dangerous to keep it. I would suggest memorizing what you can and deleting it…permanently."

"It would be best," April added quietly. "We don't want this getting out."

Misaki nodded. Now that she knew what it was, it was too risky to have it just sit on her laptop hard drive, waiting to be stolen or hacked. She had a responsibility to her teammates to not to put their lives in danger…if the information wasn't out already.

She hovered her mouse over the file and hit "delete," then went to the recycling bin and hit "delete forever." When she was done, she noticed that Hei had a pensive look on his face. She was sure she was wearing a similar expression. The annihilation of all contractors and dolls from the planet, so narrowly avoided by a wedding of all things?

"If you don't mind," November said wearily, "April and I would like to take a rest after hearing that, and perhaps get washed up a little?" He wasn't wrong. During their trip to PANDORA, he managed to get a few minor cuts to his face and seemed a little worse for wear, unlike Misaki who was basically unscathed. "It doesn't take four people for a handoff. Maybe you and Hei could take care of this one?"

"Yes, of course," Misaki said. Hei nodded beside her.

.oOo.

As they walked to the meeting point, Misaki couldn't help but think of everything she had learned in the past few hours. Anti-contractor devices could pull a star from the sky…She chanced a furtive glance at Hei, who seemed hyperaware of every little detail as they walked, something she had never noticed he did before. If BK-201 were to be hit with such a device, then there was a chance that he was still alive, still roaming the city…possibly, right next to her. She traced Hei's outline with her eyes, his athletic build, and gorgeous collar bones…The way he walked in one fluid motion, the way he seemed to know the ins and outs of Syndicate properties…could Hei possibly be—?

But then she remembered that the device caused contractors to become severely ill. If BK-201's star fell just a couple of days ago, then he certainly wouldn't be this energetic, up and about like Hei currently was. Hei had also shown that he was quite capable of taking down PANDORA security guards, which required a certain amount of agility, and well, wellness. He didn't _seem_ sick to her.

It took her a minute to realize that they had stopped walking. The buildings on either side of the road were dark, the backs of warehouses. It was not a place where one stayed any longer than necessary. A cool breeze passed through her jacket and she shivered involuntarily, or had it been from fear? Pure animalistic fear? Hei had stopped walking and was looking at her intently with his large, dark blue eyes.

"Are you okay, Misaki?" he asked calmly, still surveying their surroundings.

She flushed a brilliant scarlet, as if he could read her mind. "What? Me? No, no, uh hahaha." She wouldn't meet his eyes and wrapped her jacket tighter around herself. Hei frowned at her unusual behavior and cocked his head to the side in puzzlement. He had noticed that she had been lost in thought the last few minutes, which wasn't exactly safe given where they were going, but he was confident he could spot any potential threats before they became a problem. Now that she was refusing to meet his eyes, Hei couldn't help but wonder if she was alright. He studied her with concern. She shivered again.

"Oh!" In the blink of an eye, Hei had whipped off his green Li jacket and placed it around her shoulders. It settled over her like a heated blanket and she couldn't help but snap her eyes back to his in total surprise.

"Oh—thank you, Hei." The gesture had been so human, so kind. She couldn't help but feel a little ashamed that she had suspected him of being a heartless, emotionless killer a minute before.

"It's no problem," Hei said softly. Was it her or was there a faint blush on his cheeks? "It gets colder at night. I don't mind it as much though."

They started walking again. Misaki stuck her arms through the sleeves of Hei's jacket and zipped it up the front. Damn! It was toasty! Maybe he would let her keep it?

As they approached the address, Hei seemed to spot something in a puddle that he recognized and headed directly for a little, worn out awning at the corner of an abandoned bakery.

The man from before! Misaki recognized in an instant, feeling at once ridiculous that she had Hei's jacket around her. Huang watched them approach, a cigar hanging out of the corner of his mouth, holding up a newspaper to cover most of his face. He did a double take when he saw what Misaki was wearing, but didn't comment on it.

"Hello, Huang," Hei said.

"Surprised to see me?" Huang chuckled. "When they told me I would be getting a promotion I had no idea what a pain in the ass it would be. They think I'm a fucking three trick pony! Astronomics, Section 4, and now…I'm responsible for your lazy ass _again!_ "

Again? Huang must have been Hei's handler from before, Misaki realized. Not only did Hei used to work with Yin and Huang, but Huang had been his boss.

" _You_ , Kirihara," Huang commanded, "You got the item?"

Startled, she nodded quickly and reached into her pocket, fumbling for the flash drive.

"You can ask a little nicer, you know, Huang."

"Hmm." The man grunted. "I always knew you had a soft spot for her."

"What?" Hei protested, embarrassed and outraged at the same time.

"Oh, this jacket? It's nothing—cold…" Misaki blurted out nonsensically.

"See, told you," Huang rolled his eyes. "You freaks never cease to amaze me." Misaki placed the flash drive into the palm of his hand. "Where are the other two?"

"Taking a nap," Hei said.

"Well you might want to wake them up," Huang said. "While you've been out getting this little thing, there's been a slew of suicide bombers headed for International Embassies on Japanese soil. Not just any bombers. Dolls, strapped up with explosives."

"How's that possible?" Misaki asked, "Dolls are carefully controlled goods—"

"They're not goods," Hei cut her off, sternly.

" _I_ know they're not, Hei, but according to law they are. It would be close to impossible to get your hands on them outside of government agencies."

Huang shook his head, as if disbelieving how naïve the police chief could be. "Believe me, it happens more often than you'd think. Anyway, two of them went off today, striking the American and British embassies. A third one was headed towards the Russian embassy."

"You saved one?" Hei asked.

Huang nodded. "We traced her back to her buyer. A man named Samuel Linton." He took out a polaroid photograph of a handsome, wealthy looking man in his late fifties and passed it to Hei and Misaki. "He had branded her with his house crest, stupid bastard, led us right to him. He figured out the bombs hadn't gone off, knew we had one, and made a run for it."

"So you want us to arrest him?" Misaki asked.

"Yeah, and figure out who his supplier is. The Alma Institute or whatever wants you to get the dolls out of there, so they're willing to lend you some help in that phase of the plan. Yin and July are trying to track Linton right now. I'll send Kouno out to pick him up after you detain him. Just give me a call. You have my number." He turned to Hei. "Personally, I don't see what use a man like him could have in this world, but I'm part of the police now. We _arrest_ people, _file reports_ , have them _tried_ in court."

They seemed to be having a private conversation. By the way Hei dipped his head, it seemed like Huang's point had won out.

"Alright then. Yin? You got him? Good job!" Huang gestured to his earpiece. "They found him. Taking a cab towards Shinjuku Station. Coward's probably trying to get out of town as we speak. Here, you'll be needing these."

He thrust a pair of handcuffs at the pair, which Misaki took and shoved in her pocket.

"Let's go," Hei said, turning to his partner. "You ready?"

Misaki nodded, blood thrumming through her veins. "Ready."

* * *

**A/N: Huang's back again! And isn't Hei just so sweet giving Misaki his jacket? ;) Please drop a reaction or two down in that box below! They're the only thing keeping me going during quarantine haha**


	9. The Honey Trap, Part 2

**A/N: Woah, look at this! An update a day early?**

* * *

**Ch 9. The Honey Trap, Part 2**

Hei and Misaki ran through the streets, keeping to the shadows. Hei was much more adept at navigating the city in the dark than she was, which irked her a little bit since it was _her_ city, but she was grateful at the present moment.

She scanned the street for yellow taxi cabs with older men in them as they approached Shinjuku Station. Linton's face was pretty distinctive from the photograph Huang had showed them and she was good at picking up anxious body language.

"That one!" she called, pointing at the car. "UN9-3P5, getting ready to exit the cab."

"Got it," Hei said, keeping him in sight as he zeroed in on him. The guy was frantically checking his pockets, searching for his wallet to pay the cabbie. His efforts were hindered every time he looked around him, frightened.

Misaki pulled out her gun and kept it discreetly at her side in case it was needed, while Hei was already in place, a few paces behind the man, between him and the train station entrance. When the man finally paid the taxi driver, he turned around, only to be face to face with Hei.

"Hi there!" Hei smiled.

"I'm in a hurry!" Linton grunted, trying to move around him, but Hei only stepped to the side to block him. "What?"

"You're under arrest!" Misaki shouted, taking up the rear with her gun aimed at his back. "Now, put your hands in the air."

The guy looked desperately for a way out, but he was surrounded. Slowly, he reached up in a gesture of surrender. Misaki pulled out the handcuffs and shackled his wrists together. He tried to make a run for it then, but Hei caught him around the waist.

"Going somewhere?" Hei asked. The man snarled and spit in his face, causing Hei to squeeze tighter, crushing his ribs (without Misaki's notice, of course.)

"My phone is in my jacket pocket," Hei said to Misaki. "Huang's number should be on speed dial. Number 1."

Misaki nodded, reaching into Hei's jacket pocket and finding a very simple black cell phone in it. She dialed Huang and let him know their location. "Yes, at the station, just getting out of the cab."

She hung up the phone and turned to Hei, gesturing that they should move the interrogation to a more secluded location. "Kouno will be here in a minute. In the _meantime_ ," she glared at the suspect. "Maybe you could answer a few of our questions."

Linton raised his face to meet hers. He had blonde wavy hair and bright hazel eyes and seemed to be in his mid-fifties. "I'm an open book," he growled. "What do you want to know? Why I'm ridding the world of vermin?"

Misaki smacked the muzzle of her gun to his forehead. "They're dolls, not vermin."

"Pfft, they're creepy as fuck. The world should be glad to be rid of them."

"Is that why you sent them to the embassies?" Hei asked darkly. "When you could have just shot them?"

Misaki looked at Hei in surprise. She knew Hei's blood must be boiling, since he seemed to care for dolls on a very personal level, but the way he spoke didn't belie his feelings. It was cold.

"I was trying to make a point," Linton said. "Maybe if the world knew what was lurking with them they'd do something about it."

"Where did you get them?" Misaki asked.

She expected him to refuse to answer, but instead he just laughed. "Don't know who from. Don't care!" _That's it._ Misaki took off the safety of her gun. "Hey now!" He protested, making his eyes wide. "I got them over the internet. I never met the man face-to-face. But I can introduce you, if you want…for a price."

"What do you mean by that?" Misaki asked.

"I don't know his name! But he's rich. Really rich. He's having an open house later this week, but you can't get in without an invitation and you have to buy at least one doll to get one. We can make a deal, you and I. Unhand me, and I can get you to him."

Misaki thought it over. It wasn't the first time one of her suspects attempted to get out of jail free for help in the investigation. Sometimes, it even worked out.

Hei, meanwhile, was silently fuming. Who did this guy think he was? Hei was sickened just breathing the same air as this man, and was positive that if they just ransacked Linton's house, they'd be able to find the invitation themselves, no Linton necessary.

"Why do we need you?" Misaki asked sharply. Hei couldn't help but admire her intelligence as she voiced his thoughts exactly.

To their surprise, he just licked his lips and gave Misaki a once over, making her skin crawl. "You need my photo ID to get in and women aren't allowed. Not alone anyway, if you get my meaning. I wouldn't mind taking you there _on a leash_ , though—"

Before Misaki could even fire out a warning shot, and before Hei could _accidently_ kill the man, police sirens could be heard in the background. Kouno's car had pulled up to the curb and the front window rolled down to reveal Kouno himself.

"We're taking him into custody," Misaki bit out, as if to remind herself why she wasn't killing him on the spot. Hei nodded, dragging the man towards the brightly lit police vehicle. She approached the car, giving Kouno a tight smile. She hadn't seen him in only about 24 hours, and yet it seemed like a lifetime ago.

"You nabbed him, chief!" Kouno grinned. "Slimy bastard, we had him tracked an hour ago and then he blipped off the radar. I knew you'd be able to get him. Hey, nice jacket!"

Misaki and Kouno continued to chat, as Hei pulled the criminal around the car. The man in his arms could not be allowed to live, Hei knew. He was worse than some of the minor contractors he had met in his line of work, scum of the earth. He would pay for how he treated those dolls…and how he insulted Misaki. Hei knew that the white glow from his new white Synchrotron radiation, or whatever it was, didn't carry as far as the blue light from before. If he could just get covered enough by the top of the vehicle, and if he just fell down, make it look like a slip?

Hei made sure Misaki and Kouno were still preoccupied before ducking behind the back passenger side of the police car, slapping his hand over Linton's mouth to stop him from screaming, and aiming his electricity in a pinpoint attack on his heart.

"Misaki!" Hei yelled in his Li voice a second later, still on the ground at the car's side. Hearing his panicked voice, Misaki ran over to see what had happened. "I think he's had a heart attack! He just collapsed! I don't know what to do! He—"

"What happened, Hei? Speak slower!"

"I was just going to put him into the back seat when he grabbed his heart and fainted," Hei said. Kouno had rolled down the back window and was looking at them from inside the car.

"Huang's going to have our asses for this," Kouno whined. "Well, load him up. Maybe I can get him to the hospital in time…"

Hei dumped the dead body into the back seat none too carefully. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to move him."

"It's not your fault, Hei," Misaki said, "It's just a heart attack."

"I guess you're both headed back to your new base now," Kouno sighed. "It's so weird working for this Syndicate. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, we already searched the guy's house. Here, Huang said these would come in handy for you." He passed over a brown envelope. "Stay safe, Misaki, Li."

"Hei," he corrected.

"Huh," Kouno said. "I've heard weirder." The Section 4 police officer pulled away from the curb and sped off into the night, leaving Hei and Misaki alone again.

"What's in it?" Hei asked, gesturing to the package. Misaki opened the envelope to reveal two items. One was an invitation with a holographic watermark on it to _The Menagerie_. _By invitation only. Women can enter free as long as they are accompanied by a guest._

The second item was a falsified photo ID of a driver's license. The heading said _Samuel P. Linton_ , but then the photo was of November 11 in his business suit. Had Linton been taken alive, there was a chance that they would take him up on his offer to infiltrate _The Menagerie_. By providing this fake ID, Huang had never thought that that possibility would come to pass. Huang had anticipated this outcome all along. Hei couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. No matter how different they seemed, they still believed in the same brand of justice.

Misaki closed the envelope back up and shoved it in her (Hei's) coat pocket. A plan was already forming in her mind, and she wasn't sure how much she was going to like it. Slowly, the two headed back to base, Misaki in Hei's green jacket, and Hei in his slightly overlarge, white button-down shirt.

Later that night, Misaki finished brushing her teeth and rinsed her mouth with water. They had explained the events of the night to April and November, and it seemed that she could not avoid the inevitable. Everyone, even Hei, had had the same exact idea that she had. It would work. It definitely would work. The honey trap very seldom failed to work. The only problem: Misaki herself.

With April and November's contractor abilities needed to do the actual fighting, Misaki was left with the task of luring this Mr. Drayton (they had figured out the owner of the mansion down on Park Street) with her, ahem, _sex appeal_. Hei had assured her that he could guard her safely _from the trees outside the mansion_ , that she wouldn't _really_ be alone with the creep as she tried to get him to divulge his sources or tranquilize him so that she could go rifling through his receipts herself.

With those thoughts swirling around in her mind, Misaki padded over to their shared bed and slid beneath the sheets. Right before drifting off to sleep, Misaki received a text from Saitou in the Section 4 group chat: Samuel Linton had been pronounced dead upon arrival.

.oOo.

Misaki was walking along the shore. The white granules of sand were getting trapped between her toes. The night air was warm and nothing could be heard but the periodic movements of the ocean waves, crashing in and out. She wasn't sure where she was going, but there was a fear in her heart that urged her to run suddenly, as if something were chasing her.

A bright, full moon shone out over the ocean, bathing everything in moonlight. Still, she ran, feeling the squishy wet sand tugging at her soles. There, lying on the dunes a distance ahead of her was a shape. Dark, prone, and facing up. Without a second thought, Misaki was bounding down towards the figure. It was a man, clearly, but his entire body was covered in black clothes and on his face was a mask.

She panicked. She searched her pockets for her cell phone to call in a homicide, but she found that she didn't have any pockets. No gun. No phone. All she had was this man in front of her who she apparently had to drag to the hospital or the morgue. Depending on how heavy he turned out to be.

Something broke in her then and she kneeled by the man, placing her ear over his chest, praying for a heartbeat. But it was still. Of course it was, Misaki had probably missed his last words while…what had she been doing? Taking a midnight stroll along the beach? How stupid had she been!

Her eyes began to water. This was her punishment. She didn't deserve nice things. She was hopelessly in love with a criminal and even beautiful Hei or Li or whoever he was couldn't salvage her heart from damnation. BK-201 was dead. And it was all her fault, somehow, she just knew it. She had no proof. But it didn't matter. Her entire frame wracked with sobs…She could have saved him, _somehow_. But now he was dead and he had left her all alone, a single living, breathing soul beneath the moonlit sky.

"BK…201…why did…you…leave me?"

She continued to hug the body, which was surprisingly warm, and continued to keep her head upon his chest, which was now pulsing with life, and continued to sleep...

Hei wrapped his arms around her and mumbled back, still half asleep. "But, Misaki, I'm right here."

.oOo.

"No leashes." Misaki fixed April with a deadly stare, stomping her foot petulantly as they stood in the middle of a nearly vacated _Peaches and Plums_ boutique. The store specialized in club gear for the adventurous partier among other articles of lingerie and harnesses. Not surprisingly, April had shopped there a few times before and knew her way around the shop.

"Um, misses? Do you need any help?" Yuki, the owner, asked. She was a thin woman with light pink hair and was dressed in an extremely elaborate French maid outfit. She didn't look one smidgeon out of place among the merchandise.

"No, we're fine!" April smiled, waving her off. Yuki was nice, but she could tell Misaki was being pulled way out of her comfort zone and wouldn't appreciate an audience. April turned back to Misaki with a deep sigh. "Fine, no leashes. Now what about this?" She held up a leather harness wrapped around a tight pair of black leather pants.

" _No_."

"Misaki, we'll be here all day if you don't at least try something on! I don't even know what size you are in this store!"

"I thought we had to dress as animals?" Misaki hissed under her breath, embarrassed that she had to say it, but also paranoid that someone could hear her and what they were planning.

"That's what the ears are for!" April cried.

The two women looked around the store. Misaki, for anything that resembled something respectable. April, for something that wouldn't have Misaki immediately bailing out of the mission. The idea was for April to blend in, to be risqué and attractive enough not to raise any eyebrows, but to be modest enough not to attract Drayton's attention herself. Misaki, on the other hand, had to be both eye catching and a blushing virgin. That last part wasn't that hard, given Misaki's clear discomfort in all things sexy. It was her innocence and inexperience that they hoped would be like dangling raw meat in front of a tiger, after all. The honey trap just wouldn't work if Misaki wasn't committed to the role.

"Here, I already picked this out for me," April said, holding up a dark green velvet dress on a hanger. It would fall right above her knees, where she'd wear high, suede black boots. "You'll have to find something complimentary, but maybe more shiny? We want you to pop off the walls. And some more skin wouldn't hurt either, you know…"

God forbid April and Kanami ever got in the same room together! Misaki shuddered, continuing to browse the shelves for something that wasn't a stringy mess. When she signed up to be a police officer, she never imagined she would be picking out clothes at _Peaches and Plums_ , let alone setting herself up as the bait. Yes, she knew she had the wits to not be in a complete jam if things went south, and she had enough training to be able to interrogate someone while undercover. Still, it didn't mean she had to like it. She liked November enough, but having him see her like this was just…plain humiliating. She was a police chief, dammit!

"Hey, Misaki! What about this?" April held up a white lacey monstrosity that looked like a doily had been corrupted by sex demons. "Come on, Misaki! It's just me. You can reject it _after_ you try it on. Okay? _Please_?"

"Okay…" Misaki said, voice shaking slightly. She took the hanger from April and slipped into the frilly dressing room, which was just a pink shower curtain on a circular rail. A full length 3-paneled mirror was inside of the room. Oh joy. She stuck her legs through the bottom skirt and tossed the strappy white top (which was just a white lacey square with a bunch of ties in the back) on to her body. She was ninety-nine percent sure that she was not wearing it correctly. April had been talking to her through the curtain, but Misaki had zoned out, becoming preoccupied with her figure in the mirror that seemed somehow strange and familiar to her in these clothes.

"—just imagine Hei's face when he sees you!" April finished.

"WHAT?" Misaki barely caught the tail end of that comment, but it was enough to turn her entire face bright red. That's right, Hei would see her in whatever they finally decided to buy. She glimpsed herself in the mirror again and cringed.

"Oh, can I see?" April asked excitedly.

Misaki gave a heavy sigh. "Sure." She quickly opened the curtain and gave April her best, _I can't believe I'm doing this_ face.

"Hmmmm." April bit her lip and looked her up and down a few times, seemingly lost in thought.

"What is it?" Misaki asked impatiently, becoming more self-conscious by the minute.

"It's just…" April shook her head. "Never mind, one thing at a time. Now, pretend I'm Drayton. Give me your best seductress face…seductress…No, _seduce me_."

"I'm trying!" Misaki ground out, wrapping her arms protectively in front of herself.

"No, no, no. I mean, come on, Misaki, don't be discouraged! I just mean that it looks like you want to arrest me. Clothes go a long way in creating the disguise, but your entire demeanor just screams _Cop!_ "

"Well, I _am_ a cop."

"Yes, but you're not supposed to let him know that until after we get the dirt on him. Try again, a little…softer this time? Maybe get your mouth out of that thin, hard line, hmm?"

"April!"

"Maybe just try to look down as much as possible," April finally sighed, as if accepting that she was faced with a hopeless case. "It will give off the impression that you're submissive and it will prevent you from making too much eye contact—which _will_ give us away."

"I am trying, April," Misaki said genuinely. "It's just so…so weird. To be honest, I'm as nervous about this mission as I am about them seeing me."

April's eyes began to twinkle madly. "And by them you mean November and Hei?"

Remembering that November was sharing a bed with April every night and was much more familiar with her bed partner than Misaki was, Misaki tried to backtrack fast. "N-Not November!" she said defensively.

"Ah, just Hei then." April smiled like the cat that had just caught the canary. "Well, we'll just have to find you something that will take his breath away, won't we?"

"That's not what I—"

"I have just the thing…!"

* * *

**A/N:**

**Misaki: "I swear to God, Bleu Tsuki, if you put me on a leash, I will BITE you!"**

**April: "Stop being such a drama queen! Bleu Tsuki absolutely respects your personal boundaries and would neeeeever put you in any uncomfortable positions." *wink wink***

**Bleu Tsuki: "Things are getting juicy...Next up: November still thinks there's more to the story than what Hei is telling them. A friendly lunch between teammates is the perfect time to investigate..."**

**Hei: "W-what?"**

**November: "Please Review!"**


	10. The Honey Trap, Part 3

**A/N: In which November tries to figure out what Hei is hiding.**

**Also, I've been reading old fics from Omnicat, Dear4Life, Sakabatou, DarkerThanEvanescence, DestiniesEntwined, and tsuki-llama...so much talent! Such creative stories! But such a small fandom...**

**It can get pretty discouraging to write without any feedback because you feel like you're submitting your stuff to a void...a black hole...a darker than black hole...so I'm trying to focus on writing stories that I would want to read as an audience member and not get hung up on the stats. Is it working? Hahahah...**

**Anyway, please enjoy!**

* * *

**Ch 10. The Honey Trap, Part 3**

While April and Misaki were out buying clothes, November thought that it would be a great time to get to know his new teammate better. Hei was still a mystery to him and after the events at PANDORA, November could no longer believe that Misaki's perspective was 100% accurate. The man was lithe, agile, and apparently could kill a PANDORA guard without a scratch on him. That sort of ability just didn't fall into the lap of an ordinary exchange student. On top of that was Hei's unusual past with the Syndicate. It was possible that Hei had only joined to protect his sister, but that didn't explain Hei's presence in Tokyo, or the fact that he had a team consisting of, as far as November knew, a water doll named Yin and an older man named Huang. Teams were drains on an organization's resources since it combined many capable operatives into a single unit, instead of spreading them around. Additionally, an organization was responsible for the team's lodging, cover stories, and fake documents. A lone informant or mole would be left largely alone and only contacted on an _as needed_ basis.

Which was why November felt a personal responsibility to sniff out the man who had apparently captured Misaki's heart, whether she realized it yet or not.

"Why don't we go grab something for lunch?" November suggested as casually as he could, looking at Hei who was staring blankly at the invitation to Drayton's Open House. The invitation was on glossy paper and had images of people dressed as hyper-sexualized animals on it. There was no mistaking what sort of event they would be infiltrating, and Hei's stomach did flip-flops as he thought about Misaki being _the_ bait for this mission.

"Uh, sure, November," Hei said, putting the invitation back on the coffee table and standing up. "What sort of place did you have in mind?"

"I was hoping you'd know a place," November said, "After all, _I've_ only been in Japan for about a week."

"Right…" Hei ignored the slight dig about his long-term residency in Tokyo. November had no proof that Hei _wasn't_ an exchange student, though it was fairly obvious that he hadn't attended class in the past few days. "I know a really good ramen place. It's a family-owned restaurant and their portions are great for the price."

"Sounds great," November smiled slightly.

The two took the elevator down to the main lobby and walked out of the hotel. Hei was dressed in his normal Li outfit, a slightly large, white button-down shirt with a green windbreaker and blue jeans. November was back in his white business suit, so that it looked like only one of them had remembered to dress up for the business meeting, or else Hei was November's intern.

Neither of them said much as they walked to the Home Run House. November commented on the weather and Hei laughed awkwardly a few times. While Hei knew that he didn't need to act completely like Li, he wasn't sure how much of his true "Hei" to show. Not all of it, obviously, but how many more people could he _accidently_ kill before his Li act became stale and unbelievable? He was thankful that he had never encountered November and April while on a mission with the Old Syndicate, because he was sure his mannerisms would be a dead giveaway by now.

As they approached the establishment, Hei turned to November. "I have a favor to ask you," he began, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"Hmm?" November raised an eyebrow.

"Could you call me 'Li' while we're in there? It's just that I've gotten to know the shop owner and his daughter and I don't want to have to explain why you're calling me Hei."

November chuckled. "Of course, _Li_."

They crossed the street.

Just as November was going to open the door, Hei spotted a familiar black cat sauntering towards the back of the building. Hei carefully reached into his jacket pocket and pressed a secret button on the side of the Syndicate-sanctioned custom-made phone. _Beep be-beep! Da dum! Beep be-beep!_

"Ahh," Hei blushed, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. "I've got to take this."

November waved him on. "Take your time, I'll just order us both the lunch special to get started?"

"Yes, that would be great. Thanks, November."

November disappeared inside the Home Run House while Hei stepped to the side, made a show of putting the phone to his ear and then pacing just beyond the visibility of the restaurant windows. Then, he discreetly made his way to the back of the building.

"Awww, you're such a nice kitty!" Rika was saying, pouring some tuna into a bowl outside their back door.

"Meow!"

She petted his glossy black fur some more. A few seconds passed before her father called her back inside on account of having to make two special lunch orders.

"Coming!"

Hei waited until he heard the door jangle shut before emerging from the shadows.

"Careful, you might get fat."

The unsuspecting black cat jumped a foot in the air. "Oi! Hei!" Mao cried, turning around to face his old partner. "You're one to talk. You come back here as often as I do."

Hei smiled fondly at his feline partner and sat down on the concrete curb. "November wanted to go somewhere for lunch."

"Oh that pretty boy from MI6?" Mao chewed his tuna thoughtfully. "I wondered how you two would get along. What with your fascination with that lady cop, Kirihara."

"He's into April…or sleeping with her at least."

Mao wrinkled his nose. "Spare me the details." He bent down to take another bite of tuna. "You know, they're trying to make a haven for dolls at Astronmics? Every day they're emptying these tanks with dolls in them. It smells disgusting, like you wouldn't believe."

"I have had to break doll tanks before, Mao."

"Yeah, try twenty in a row. But at least Yin and July have more friends to talk to."

"That's good."

"Yeah, and Stargazer's been more active lately."

"Stargazer?" Hei frowned.

"Hoshimi. She was one of the first dolls ever documented, kind of like how Amber was the first contractor. The last time she spoke was when Heaven's Gate disappeared, but now she's talking and actually able to walk around a little."

"It sounds like you're enjoying this new job," Hei smiled.

"It's not that new," Mao said, "Huang's still as pleasant as ever." Despite his grumpy demeanor, Hei knew he spoke of the man fondly. Hei made to get up and rejoin November, when Mao's voice stopped him. "Bai told us you have the moonstone, Hei."

Hei looked over his shoulder in surprise.

"Whatever you do, don't take it off." With that last remark, Mao waltzed down the alleyway.

Hei entered the Home Run House a mere five minutes after taking his supposed phone call. He apologized to November and took his seat. The restaurant was buzzing with lunch time activity and the sounds and smells of sizzling meat and vegetables filled the room.

"A lady friend?" November asked, causing Hei to nearly spit out his water. "That was a joke."

"No, no," Hei sputtered. Damn, this guy was too good at catching him off guard. "Just a call from my landlady. She was wondering if I was okay since she hasn't seen me around the apartment lately."

"Ah." November took a sip of his iced tea.

"Li!" Rika squealed as she approached their table with two giant bowls of ramen. "Oh, you've brought a friend?"

She placed the bowls in front of them and stared at November with wide eyes as if she had never seen Hei in there with a friend before…which, to be fair, she hadn't.

"Yeah, this is my friend—" Hei said.

"Jack Simon, pleased to meet you!"

"Oh! My name's Rika. My dad owns the place." Rika smiled. "Li always has the best manners. Of course his friend would too. Let me know if you two need anything."

Hei began eating right away. The flavor splashed across his tongue and he was happy that he had picked the Home Run House instead of the soba stand by the park. He hadn't realized how much he missed this place.

November stared at him as he wolfed down his first bowl in no time at all. Without being told, Rika brought out another bowl…and another…November was amazed. It was almost as if eating were Hei's price…

When it seemed like Rika was going to be gone for a while after a large party of six came in, November decided it was time to pounce. What were Hei's true intentions concerning Misaki, anyway?

"You like Misaki." It wasn't a question.

Hei looked up from his bowl of noodles, eyes wide as saucers.

"What gave it away?" Hei asked dejectedly, still acting like Li. It wouldn't hurt to appear as a lost little sheep attracted to Misaki Kirihara. They already had somewhat of a history together that November knew about and having a new teammate have a crush on the woman he was sharing a bed with didn't exactly indict him as the Black Reaper.

"It's rather obvious," November said mildly, "You look at her too much when you think no one is watching and you treat her like she needs to be protected even though _she's_ the one with the gun and the experience."

"Oh I didn't realize," Hei said, biting his lip. "I thought I was better at hiding it. I don't want Misaki to feel uncomfortable…"

November was shaking his head as if laughing at his own joke. "You'd make a terrible spy, _Li_. But hmm, well."

"What?" Hei asked eagerly, leaning forward.

"I think Misaki likes you too."

Hei frowned. "Now you're just teasing me, Nov-Jack."

"No, no, it's true," November sighed. "She likes you, BK-201." He watched Hei's face with acute focus as he threw out his bait. He expected Hei to react, either by freezing like a deer in headlights or by getting angry and finding some excuse to leave the room. He didn't expect Hei to cock his head to the side and start laughing.

"BK…201?" Hei laughed, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. "Is that the masked man that April was telling me about?"

November frowned into his water glass. Maybe Hei wasn't BK-201, though his disappearance coincided with Hei's miraculous appearance at the Syndicate's party. _And_ Hei had shown quite a lot of emotion for a contractor, even if he were just acting. November sighed. It seemed as if his ploy had failed…or worked. He still wasn't sure as Hei sat their clutching his sides in a fit of laughter. He'd try again another day. He smiled to himself and seemed to drop the subject, not wanting to press too hard and potentially damage their relationship for no reason. Besides, it was fun making Hei blush and sputter. He almost saw what Misaki liked about him.

"Yes, he died just a few days ago," November said without a hint of sadness. "Misaki seemed to have quite an obsession with him, but I think she's getting over it by being with you."

"With me? Oh no, I don't think Misaki could like me that much," Hei said modestly. "We're just friends. I mean, I'm not even that much to look at."

November hummed, looking Hei over. It was starting to make Hei feel like a fly under a microscope and he was starting to get angry. He had already said he wasn't BK-201. Did November have to take every opportunity to dissect him?

"It's because your clothes are too baggy," November decided.

"Eh?"

"It hides your body," November said, matter-of-factly. "Like a shapeless bag. If there's one thing you take away from our time together, it's that it is the clothes that make the man."

"Okay…"

"Come on, we're going shopping."

"What? We need to pay the bill!"

November slapped a wad of cash down on the table. "Lunch is on me."

.oOo.

If Hei thought he was going to escape November's makeover, he was mistaken. November led him to a rather expensive clothing store that had everything from very tailored jeans to business attire. Every one of Hei's excuses to get back to the hotel or anywhere else were ignored.

"Ah, Mr. Simon! How may we help you today?" an employee asked. He had a white, curly mustache and bushy white eyebrows. He looked like he had stepped out of a magazine for Italian business weekly. November had been in Japan a few times before on business, which was why he had learned Japanese, but never for this long before. The first thing he did at each new location he went to was find a quality clothing store. You never knew when your suit got bloodied or slashed in two and you had to wake up for an 8 am meeting the next day.

"I'm looking to get a few shirts for my friend, Li, here. His luggage got tragically lost in the airport and sadly he's been stuck wearing these rags around Tokyo."

Hei stopped himself from gaping openly, but just barely.

"Hm, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I shall see what I can do. Casual wear?"

"Casual wear. Maybe throw in a jacket?" November added, eyeing Hei's green windbreaker with distaste.

"Yes, sir. Wait here."

The man wandered off, on a heroic quest of some sort, while Hei silently fumed at November.

"My clothes got lost in the airport?" Hei hissed.

"I wasn't going to tell him you _chose_ to look like this," November whispered back. "If Misaki's going to have anyone on her arm, it's going to be someone who is semi-conscious of how they dress. Consider this an olive branch, if you will."

An olive branch? And just who started the war? Hei was tempted to ask.

"Fine." Hei accepted his fate and was content in knowing November was off his tail…for now.

"Ahh, here we are!" the man was back, holding a stack of button-down shirts that were more tailored with higher quality fabric so that they wouldn't get wrinkles. On top of the pile was a jean jacket that was also supposed to be slimming instead of bulky and a pair of dark wash jeans. "The fitting room, sirs, follow me!"

He led the way to a small stall that had a curtain covering the entrance. It was made of heavy, black fabric and could be hooked to the sides of the stall for privacy. Hei entered, taking the large pile of clothes from the man and closing the curtain shut. He turned to the one mirror in the stall and sighed.

He might as well try on the clothes, he supposed. It wasn't like the Syndicate had ever budgeted a new wardrobe for him, apart from his bulletproof "work" clothes, and while they did pay him generously, he had never thought to _spend_ that money. It just hadn't seemed relevant before to wear anything other than his everyday clothes. They worked for him, and the fact that it kept his physique hidden was _sort of the point_. He was supposed to be hiding in plain sight, not alert everyone that the new neighbor in town was absolutely ripped when the murders started happening around them.

"How's it going in there?" November called. Hei could almost _hear_ the smirk in his voice.

"Give me a minute!" Hei yelled, grabbing the first thing he touched, a black v-neck with a tiny maroon fox logo sewn in the corner. It was supposed to be simple, Hei thought in hindsight. Grab a shirt, shove it on. He hadn't anticipated that the man had underestimated the _size of his head_ and that he would be stuck with his arms semi-through the armholes and his one eye poking out from the neck hole, completely tangled in an ordinary t-shirt. This was how he'd be murdered, Hei thought…half-dressed in a clothing store. Perfect.

"It's been ten minutes!" November whined.

"Yeah, give me a few more!" Hei said, his voice obviously muffled.

"Oh, for the love of—do you need help?"

"I _got_ it!"

"I'm coming in!"

Hei couldn't grab the curtain fast enough, as tangled as he was, and could only gape, horrorstruck as November gazed appreciatively at his toned chest and abdomen, before his gaze rested on the little white stone dangling from his necklace.

"Here, allow me." Without waiting for an answer, November had grabbed hold of the fabric and yanked it down over Hei's large head. "Hmmm. It seems like it's too small."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out already," Hei said, annoyed. His face was bright red and he was torn between being angry and embarrassed.

"Did Misaki give you that?" November asked curiously. There was no question as to what he was referring to.

Hei shook his head, heart pounding. November couldn't know what it was. Best case scenario, he would think he was just a grown man with a pretty gemstone necklace.

"My sister," Hei lied easily.

"It's, ah, very pretty."

Hei shrugged. "Thanks."

When they left the store, about an hour later, Hei was wearing a pair of new jeans and a button-down black shirt that hugged his frame a little more on the sides. As much as he wanted to hate November, he couldn't help but think he looked a lot better than before.

"Thanks, November," Hei had said as November insisted on paying for the clothes.

"It's really a gift for Misaki," November had answered back bluntly. "It's her birthday soon and I think she'll really enjoy it. Especially the jacket."

.oOo.

Back at the suite, April was putting the finishing touches on her latest project. After doing Misaki's makeup, she had moved on to doing her hair. Misaki was a little apprehensive at first about letting April anywhere near her neck with the hot iron, but relented when April told her she was "an expert."

Though Misaki had gotten her ears pierced when she was younger, she didn't wear earrings nearly enough to keep the piercings open. In creepy omniscient fashion, the Syndicate had sent her fake-diamond clip-on earrings, the right half of which acted as her radio so she could communicate with her team.

"Are you sure you want to put your hair up?" April whined as Misaki got her black hair tie ready. "After all that work I put into it?"

"Yes, I can't focus with my hair in my face—Damn!" Misaki's last hair tie snapped in her hand, and she stared at the broken elastic mutinously as if it had decided to betray her. April smirked.

"I swear I didn't do anything," April said in a sing-song voice. "It must just be fate."

" _Sure_." Misaki looked at them both in the mirror. They had finally decided on a rather conservative outfit for Misaki, by April's standards: a black push-up bralette with about a million bows in the back and an extremely short black skirt with her legs encased in fishnet hosiery. A black choker sat around her neck with a little silver heart on it to look like a collar and she wore black strappy heels to complete the look.

April was wearing a skintight dress in green velvet with thigh-high black boots. It was fancy, but was meant to be less provocative than Misaki's costume, so it covered most of her skin. April grabbed their animal ears from the bed and put them on.

"Two cats coming right up."

Maybe, if Misaki used her imagination, she would have thought they were going to a Halloween party for fun. Except, she had a wire on her, and they were busting up a human trafficking ring, and she worked for law enforcement. You know, the small differences.

From their bedroom, they could hear Hei and November entering the hotel suite.

"Come on, Misaki. Let's knock them dead," April said with a wink. She dragged Misaki out of her chair and then maneuvered them both out of the bedroom just as Hei and November stepped over the threshold.

Hei was the first to process what exactly he was seeing. It wasn't like he hadn't ever seen people dressed up before, but he hadn't seen _Misaki_ dressed up like this before. He tried not to let his gaze linger on her exposed décolletage, but it was rather hard not to notice. (That was the point.)

Though Hei wasn't wearing anything near as risqué as Misaki, he was wearing something more flattering for once. If he wasn't wearing his slightly overlarge white button-down or waiter outfit, he was in his cirque-de-soleil Syndicate bodysuit, that, while sexy in its own way, wasn't exactly an _everyday_ kind of casual wear. Misaki couldn't help but think she appreciated the extra effort.

"You look, um, good," Hei spoke first.

"I like your shirt," Misaki said awkwardly, pointing at his shirt, just in case it wasn't clear what she liked.

The background faded away for them, as they only had eyes for each other. Good thing too because April face palmed, lamenting that all her hard work could be unraveled by Misaki's awkwardness, while November was patting himself on the back, a little too hard, for a job well done.

* * *

**A/N: Next up: They put out the bait...Oooh, this one is going to be good!**

**Please Read and Review!**

**November:** **"Please review so that Bleu Tsuki can stop whining about it."**

**BT: "OMG November, I'm just trying to see if the readers like it is all! What if they all secretly hate it and don't want to tell me?"**

**April: "Wouldn't be the first time..."**

**BT: "Why do my characters hate me?"**

**Mao: "Finally, I make another appearance!"**

**Misaki: "You're not going to let anything happen to me next chapter, will you?"**

**BT: "Well...Hei will be there!"**

**Misaki: "That's not an answer!"**

**BT: "Please review!"**


	11. The Honey Trap, Part 4

**A/N: You might be wondering where on earth Matsumoto is…oops. I have a plan for him, but yes, that is a glaringly large plot-hole that I may one day possibly go back and fix.**

**Also, today I am defending my Honors Thesis on electrochem, whoop-de-doo!**

**This is by far my favorite chapter, so please let me know what you think of it!**

**Happy reading, Bleu Tsuki**

* * *

**Ch 11. The Honey Trap, Part 4**

Shihoko Kishida, Friends of the Gate ambassador to the Alma Institute for Doll Rehabilitation, was happy to get out of the office for once. Not that she didn't enjoy working with Huang and Kanami to get the Institute up and running, mind you, it's just that she had never really been the ideal worshipper of the gate, praying day and night, doing nothing. As the Syndicate's mole, she had always been active: lying, cheating, manipulating, and _moving_. When Alma had called her into the prayer chamber just last week, Shihoko had expected to be exposed as a spy and killed on the spot. She had not expected to be exposed as a spy and then promoted. Nor had she expected to cross paths with Kuno (Huang, now, she reminded herself), even though she knew in the back of her mind that he must be working for the Syndicate (seeing as she had organized for him to join in the first place).

So here she was, driving Hei, November, April and Misaki to a spot about a block away from Drayton's Mansion at 11 pm at night. Since this mission involved doll retrieval, the Friends of the Gate were called upon to provide support for the main team. This meant that she was in charge of getting the team to and from the hotel, while other followers were in charge of transporting the dolls back to the Institute in a completely inconspicuous tractor-trailer…

They had all decided on the plan beforehand: While Misaki was inside, trying to get Drayton alone, November and April would attempt to find their way into the tunnels beneath the mansion, which had been indicated on the property's blueprints. This was the most likely location for the stolen dolls, though nothing was known for sure. Hei's job was to plant bombs that would expose the tunnel to the outside world, providing a quick exit for them if need be. The tunnel seemed to be connected to the club house on the other side of the street, but records had shown that parts of that had collapsed so that the tunnel was limited more or less to Drayton's property. Hei's second and most important job was to keep track of Misaki via the radio, acting as her backup.

Misaki had insisted that she would be able to have Drayton blabbering out his secrets after a few glasses of wine, or would be able to subdue him and search the upstairs herself for clues, and had stressed to Hei not to interfere unless absolutely necessary. It wasn't that she doubted Hei's ability to extract answers from Drayton. It was that her experience had shown her that sometimes you just caught more flies with honey. If they had stormed in and arrested Drayton, assuming the dolls wouldn't then be moved to a second location, it might be weeks before that canary decided to sing, or else he might be killed while in custody to keep his mouth shut. They'd try the honey trap first…then she'd call Hei in for extra persuasion.

"I'll be waiting for you outside," Shihoko reminded them, parking the car and turning to look over her shoulder at November, Misaki, and April squished shoulder-to-shoulder in the back. "Take care of yourselves."

She watched them exit her vehicle and then disappear into the night, before pulling out her phone and dialing Huang.

"Shihoko?"

"They just got out of the car…So, where were we?"

.oOo.

The team separated right away: Hei heading for a path through the tree tops, the other three sauntering up the sidewalk.

Today, Hei had brought along his wire-knife combo, as he figured it would come in handy moving from the trees to the house. He also had a double-pronged dagger attached to his waist next to the little taser. The Drayton Mansion was grand even from the outside, having multiple floors and a winding stairwell inside of a central tower like in the fairy tales. It seemed like just the place to have a subterranean tunnel system. Like most grand houses, there were security cameras located at just about every angle and every floor. If Hei could disconnect them for a few hours, then that would provide enough cover for him to move unencumbered. On the other hand, it might alert Drayton's security he was here and he didn't think that was necessary yet.

He expertly slipped out of the view of the cameras (the black outfit helped), and placed bombs around the front right portion of the building, above the tunnel system. Then he darted away, quick as a dragon fly, and zipped up to the trees where he had a good vantage point of the inside of the building through all the expansive skylights and large windows. He couldn't see everything in there, but he could see enough to know most people were gathered on the first floor. He sat down, using the tree branch as a bench and watched three familiar shapes enter the throng.

.oOo.

November stood between Misaki and April, looking extremely dapper in his white tuxedo with just a few added touches, like a black bowtie. (It was after 6. What was he? A farmer?) The mansion was in sight and a doorman was checking invitations at the entrance between two Grecian columns. Besides the animal ears and occasional animal tails, nothing seemed too out of place.

"It'll be alright, Misaki," November said, sensing the waves of anxiety literally pouring off of her. "When we get up to the door, I'll put my arms around both of your waists, and then I'll let go and you head straight for the man of the hour."

"She'll be fine, November," April said. "Just…remember to look down as much as possible, got it?"

Misaki nodded. "Got it. Hei, you still there?" she asked, her clip-on diamond earrings covering the tiny radio inside.

"Don't worry. I have your back, Misaki."

His steady voice calmed her and she could almost believe that she was prepared for what was to come. Just as he had promised, November lightly wrapped an arm around Misaki's waist and one around April's as they got closer to the door.

"Invitation, sir?" the man asked, glancing at them shrewdly. He didn't recognize this particular guest and that put him on high alert. Misaki made sure to keep her eyes plastered to the ground, as if a single glance would blow the whole operation. "Ah, Mr. Linton, a first timer. We're delighted to have you. Please, enjoy the open house."

He opened the door leading into the foyer. Two grand staircases led to the second floor, from which was a smaller spiral staircase within its own tower. Misaki immediately lifted her eyes to scan the room as discreetly as she dared and then took a few steps away from the two as soon as November had dropped his hand.

Around her were various characters in full tuxedos, suits, and various animal appendages. While it seemed that some people had come with an actual friend or partner, decorated in jewels, there was another class of person present in the mansion: dolls. Even to the well trained eye, they could be a little difficult to spot unless you knew the signs. The stood by their "owners," looking blankly out into space, once in a while doing something like scratch their fake animal ears with a hand, curled like a paw, or letting out a bark. They seemed emotionless, more or less, but with twitches or pants that reminded Misaki of real animals. Were they just told to act this way, or was it more? A doll program of some sort that made them act like actual cats and dogs and lizards and lions?

" _Relax_ ," came April's voice over her earpiece. April was making it look like she was talking to November, but by her next words, Misaki knew they were meant for her. "This is such a fun party. Remember how much you wanted to come here and _talk to people_?"

Right, focus. Misaki spotted Drayton, the man from the file that Huang had sent them, a few years older and a little rounder about the edges. He was chatting merrily with a glass of champagne in his hand, probably getting off on a house full of dolls, the pervert. He was seemingly in conversation with a large-busted blonde woman in a nylon cheetah outfit who had, squatting next to her, a young, purple-haired doll wearing cat ears.

"Oh, you are _so_ funny," the blonde was saying, carding her hands possessively through the doll's hair.

Michael Drayton, dressed in a black tuxedo grinned at whatever joke he had been telling. "It's true, I tell you. I sell them, but I don't keep them."

"Hmm, maybe you and I could talk some more later? Just you, and I, and Mauve here?" Mauve, the doll, took that second to meow and gnaw on the blonde's fingers, which made her look up, directly at Misaki. Her expression soured immediately, recognizing a threat.

 _Game on,_ Misaki thought to herself, walking the rest of the way to the group.

"And who might you be?" Drayton asked, his voice half charming, half nauseating as he took Misaki's hand and smacked a kiss onto the back of it. Misaki's eyes flashed, but she looked back down last minute, hoping that no one saw anything. Mauve began licking herself like a cat.

"Misa," she lied, giving a small smile that she hoped would give those _come hither_ vibes April had been telling her about.

"I'm Indigo," the blonde drawled, "and this is Mauve. A pleasure." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but either Drayton was too thick to pick it up or he just didn't care.

"Those are—" Misaki stopped herself, "—interesting names."

Indigo raised her eyebrow. "Indeed."

More color names? Misaki wondered. Wasn't that a strange coincidence…

"But I like 'Misa', just as well," Drayton murmured, giving Misaki the once-over. "This is your first time, I take it?"

"Yes," Misaki said, nodding.

"You should know then that the main event doesn't start until after midnight. It gives all our guests plenty of time to get _acquainted_ with each other before the bidding."

Misaki kept nodding. Now how to maneuver this tub of lard into spilling his secrets and getting rid of the others?

"Cat?" Mauve asked suddenly, holding up a tiny plastic mouse to Misaki, who apparently seemed like a cat due to her ears.

"Mauve, no, stop it!" Indigo hissed two octaves lower, before giving a high pitched twinkling laugh.

"Cat?" Mauve repeated again, gesturing again to Misaki. This time, she did not offer the plastic mouse.

"Ah, yes, I am a cat," Misaki relented, giving Mauve a gentle smile. The doll reminded her a little bit of July, just younger and obviously not in the best of circumstances. Mauve broke out into a wide smile and started to lick herself again. It was all rather odd.

"So, what do you say we move to a more private location?" Indigo suggested, placing a hand on Drayton's chest. She cocked her head to the side. "We work well together, Mauve and I. You won't regret it." Then seeing that his gaze had stayed on Misaki, added with a disappointed sigh, "Misa can come too, if you want."

Drayton removed Indigo's hand from his chest and took a step closer to Misaki, grabbing her chin between his forefinger and thumb and forcing her chin up so that their eyes met. His eyes were harsh and sharp like an eagle's. Hers were wide and panicked.

"Have you had sex before?" Drayton asked suddenly, making Misaki and Indigo freeze. "I can tell by your face that you haven't…An untouched flower. Petals ripe for the _plucking_."

Outside the mansion, Hei was digging his dagger angrily into the trunk of the tree he was sitting in. He couldn't see Misaki from where he was waiting, but he could hear and see April coughing on the drink she had just inhaled and November pounding her on the back. Then even those two disappeared from sight.

"Oh, I, um," Misaki was sputtering, his hand preventing her from moving her face away. From out of the corner of her eye, she could see Indigo frowning in defeat. If she could have moved her head, she would have seen Mauve's eyes widen suddenly, the plastic mouse dropping from her hands, and would have realized that Mauve had suddenly turned her head straight towards November and April. Indigo smirked, casting one last look at Misaki, before slipping into the library with Mauve at her heels.

Drayton removed his hand from her face and chuckled to himself, then pulled her towards him and slid his hand down the back of skirt, grabbing her ass. "I bet you would feel wonderful clenched around me. Come, _Misa_ , we will return to the party shortly."

Misaki's heart pounded so hard that she wondered if Hei could hear it. "This is um, a nice house you have," Misaki choked out as she was led up the stairs. His hand hadn't moved and he seemed to derive pleasure from her discomfort. They passed a window cut into the side of the tower of that spiral staircase. Misaki couldn't help but glance outside the window, into that pitch black night, imagining that Hei was somewhere out there, watching.

"It's pretty dark outside, isn't it?" Drayton spoke.

"Oh, yeah," Misaki blushed. Apparently, he hadn't missed the way she looked outside.

"It's better to stay inside," he said, "Good company, good food,…" they had reached the top of the tower, which was a small floor consisting of a grand bedroom with a built-in bathroom, and a small office space overlooking the back yard that had a few locks on it.

He opened the bedroom door and gave her a small, but forceful, push inside the room, leading her over to the bed facing a small window. The bedroom itself was richly decorated but didn't in itself seem to contain any answers. The office, however…

"You're unusual," Drayton remarked, petting her head as if she really were a cat. "Not many people talk to dolls as if they were normal."

"Aren't they?" Misaki asked, trying to keep the steel from her voice. Presumably as a buyer of dolls, she would know a little of what they were.

"No in the least," he said flippantly. "They're things. Things to play with, things to use. They come in boxes, by the dozen." He had moved on to scratching her behind the ears.

"That many?" Misaki asked.

"Sometimes more."

"Where—"

He had pushed her onto her back, his hands braced on either side of her. If she weren't trying to seduce the answers from him, she'd have had _him_ flat on _his_ back. But as it was, she stayed put and tried her best to keep the rage from her eyes.

"You ask too many questions, Misa."

She tried to put an innocent smile on her face, the kind that Li had that managed to disarm people. "I'm just curious, is all. It wouldn't hurt to tell me. Who would I tell?"

"I suppose you're right." He leaned down and gave her a bruising kiss on the lips, trying at the same time to undo the tangle of bows holding her top on. Apparently, he couldn't do two things at once, stood back up, and growled in frustration. Misaki was never so thankful for the tangle of strings that had irked her only hours before.

"I'll tell you one thing," Drayton said, shaking his head as if he were being silly for sharing this. "I did a few favors for the Wu family once upon a time. They used to be big into doll collecting, but when the wife died, the husband got rid of them all in her honor. Lucky me."

"I see," Misaki said, mentally scribbling a note to herself and wondering if Hei or anyone else had heard. Subconsciously, she brushed her hair back, exposing her diamond earrings that sparkled in the lamplight. They seemed to catch his eye and he stared at them for an extended moment.

"Who did you say you came here with, again?" he asked in a changed tone.

"Samuel Linton—"

Time seemed to stand still as Misaki finally met his eyes with unbridled clarity. They both moved at once, fast as vipers. Drayton had pulled something from his sleeve and jammed it into her arm, just as Misaki had jumped up and swiped his feet out from under him. The walrus fell to the ground with a loud _oomph!_ and she stumbled her way to the exit, her vision blurring…

She could feel his monstrous hands flip her over onto her back and his blurry blob of a face inches from hers. He had yanked the clip-on earrings from her ears and ground them into the carpet. "I knew you seemed familiar, Police Chief _Misaki_ Kirihara. The one they told me to watch out for if I went into this business. Maybe after your father pardons me, I'll return your used and broken body in a box," he panted into her ear. "I didn't lie when I said you would feel good around me—"

With her focus quickly deteriorating, Misaki barely registered that a double-pronged dagger had lodged itself in the back of the man, or that a soft white glow suffused the room. All she knew was that one minute, she was on the ground with a pounding headache, and the next, she was swinging through the air clutched in somebody's arms…

* * *

**A/N- Wow. Can't believe I wrote that. Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review to let me know what you think!**

**What will happen? What was Misaki injected with? Will they find the dolls? And what's going on with Mauve and Indigo?**

**Next up: The Honey Trap, Part 5 (More Hei/Misaki goodness coming right up!)**


	12. The Honey Trap, Part 5

**A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful comments and feedback last chapter. *cries tears of joy***

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Ch 12. The Honey Trap, Part 5**

Hei was swinging through the air with Misaki in his arms. Her head was lolling to the side and her arm had a bright red dot where Drayton had injected her. It was likely that Drayton had used the same chemical that kept his dolls sedated. Hei had wanted to tear Drayton to shreds multiple times throughout the night, but he had trusted that Misaki could handle her part of the mission and only acted before things could escalate further. His only consolation was that Drayton was lying lifeless on the floor with a dagger lodged into his flabby back, and that Hei had sent in enough electricity to knock out a high rise, accidently-on-purpose overdoing the voltage.

As they swung through the air, Hei could see Shihoko waiting on the front lawn by the sidewalk and shot out another wire so that he could land in front of her.

"You got her, Hei?" April asked over the earpiece.

"Yes," Hei answered. A more thorough explanation could wait until later.

"Good. We found the dolls. I—"

" _April!"_

Before Hei could wonder what had happened, the bombs stationed around the tunnel detonated, shooting rubble up into the air. Hei retracted his wire and tumbled to the ground, wrapping himself around Misaki to shield her from the impact. If he had looked up just then, he would have seen a star fall.

Shihoko gasped when she saw that Misaki wasn't getting up on her own. "Is she?"

"Mild tranquilizer," Hei said, turning on his heel. "Keep her safe… _please_."

Shihoko nodded and hauled the drugged police chief back to her car, which she had moved to be nearer to the action. It was still far enough away that no one would think twice about her car belonging to the neighbor, and it had dark tinted windows so that no one could see them inside staring out.

.oOo.

Hei was sprinting into the exposed tunnel, faster than a sprite. Though the bombs had been powerful, it didn't seem as if anyone inside the house was aware, or else, something was preventing them from escaping. Hei couldn't focus on that now as he slid down the opening at the top of the tunnel and took in the scene before him.

Crates upon crates were stacked together along the tunnel walls, but what really caught his eye was April clutching her heart and puking against the tunnel wall, as November faced off against a familiar blonde-haired man, dressed as a cheetah. Off to the side, a purple-haired doll was staring into space, clutching what appeared to be a toy mouse.

The cheetah-man held a small gun-like device in his hands and his eyes sparkled. Hei looked from April to the gun and realization dawned on him.

"You make a much better woman," November was saying, already gathering a light blue glow around his body. The anti-contractor device needed a clear shot to work, and November was confident that he would be quick enough to avoid its sting while stabbing the blonde contractor through the chest. The only reason the contractor had gotten April in the first place was because they had stayed still for too long, and November had been busy studying the crates to make sure they held dolls in them instead of watching out for his partner.

"Thanks, darling," the man said with a maniacal smile. "I try to look my best." He raised his gun and fired, but November had brought up a wall of ice and the beam of anti-Gate particles dissipated into nothingness. They attacked, back and forth, seeming to get nowhere, with eyes only for each other. As his costume suggested, the cheetah man was fast and enjoyed changing position every second like an irksome fly.

November didn't even know that Hei had entered the tunnel, so focused was he on April and his opponent, that he was shocked when the cheetah man paused, jaw dropping open. "Hello, Hei. Nice to see you again."

"Indigo," Hei greeted coldly. November looked between the two, feeling completely out of the loop.

Indigo had heard the rumors that BK-201's star had vanished from the sky, but he was no longer associated with an agency powerful enough to confirm the rumors. That's why he had come here tonight: to get enough dolls to set up an observatory of their own. Still, he hadn't expected to ever see Hei again, and after their brief time together after Heaven's War, he had rather hoped he would never have to.

"I heard your sister was back in town," Indigo said casually, brushing back his hair. "And here I thought you had lost her."

"Where did you get that device, Indigo?" Hei asked coldly, inching his way slowly forward, hoping to get close enough to knock the device from Indigo's hands.

"The one, true Syndicate lives on, Hei. You think your sister could just flirt her way to the top like that pathetic piece of ass you sent out tonight? The world doesn't change that fast." Indigo looked triumphantly at them, feeling emboldened by the power of the anti-contractor device. "I'll make you a deal…" Indigo gestured to the crates with his gun, emphasizing his possession of it. "I'll let you guys go free—consider it a favor for old times' sake—and you'll let me take the dolls."

November glanced at April still retching quietly in the corner and carefully weighed his options. How long would April be okay like this? How many dolls were there? Were Alma's people capable of taking Indigo down even if they backed out of the tunnel now? His thoughts were broken by a single loud word.

"No."

Indigo looked taken aback for a moment before turning angry. " _Fine_ , go join her then!" Indigo raised the device, making Hei automatically prepare to roll out of the way, before realizing that the gun was aimed for November.

November attempted to erect a shield around himself, but it was as if his brain were moving through molasses. The ice was forming, but not fast enough, the beam of particles was speeding towards him—

Then a figure came into view: Hei had jumped in front of the path of the particles, while simultaneously kicking the device out of Indigo's hands before it shattered against the stone wall of the tunnel. If Mina could be trusted, Hei's contractor powers were safe from the effects of the device, but she had not warned him that it would hurt like hell. _Damn!_

In the split second that Indigo mourned the loss of the device, November lost no time in transforming his ice shield into a spear and throwing it straight through Indigo's heart. His eyes widened comically before rolling back into his head, his blood pooling on the tunnel floor. Hei slowly got back on his feet, already feeling the effects of the anti-Gate particles leave his system. He felt unbelievably guilty as the moonstone heated up against his chest, knowing that it would have saved April from a world of pain if she had worn it instead. He wondered vaguely if even Amber had foreseen this exact moment, or if the blanket warning to never take it off covered all possible futures.

November was staring at Hei with something between admiration and shock. No one, not even typical humans, jumped in front of a weapon for an acquaintance, and the fact that he had done so—knowing that the effects of an anti-contractor device on normal humans were unknown—was bordering on heroic.

"As you're not currently dying on the ground, I guess I owe you an apology, Hei," November said quietly as they both took hold of April who was barely conscious. "You must not be a contractor after all. Not that there could be any doubt after turning down his offer."

"You weren't seriously considering it, were you November?"

"It would have been the rational thing to do…but I suppose you're right. After hurting April, I guess a small part of me wanted to kill him no matter what the cost."

They managed to lift her up, when Hei noticed a pair of purple eyes still watching them.

"Cat?" Mauve asked.

November looked at Hei. "We can't just leave her here."

"Cat?" Mauve asked again, sticking the toy mouse into her mouth.

"Follow us," Hei ordered, hoping the poor doll had some programming besides animal movements to follow orders. Mauve nodded and followed them as they slowly made their way out of the tunnel.

.oOo.

The car ride home was uneventful. April had her head between her knees, feeling sick to her stomach, while Misaki was gaining awareness, saying a few odds things once in a while, such as "I like stars!" or "I hate Mondays."

Shihoko silently contemplated the two fully awake people in the car: Hei and November. She didn't know either of them very well, but she did know that Huang thought Hei was an oddball of a contractor and that made her like him. November, on the other hand, used to be MI6's top field agent and presumably was a model contractor. Contractors weren't exactly known for their human emotions like gratitude, but November was certainly looking at the back of Hei's head as if there was something there to be admired. Whatever had happened in that tunnel had changed their relationship for the better, she was sure. She just wasn't stupid enough to ask what it was.

She dropped them off in the hotel's parking garage. Misaki was able to walk a little again without falling back down, so it was only April who had to be supported, leaning on the shoulders of Hei and November. Shihoko waved to them good bye, before hopping back in her car and heading straight for the Alma Institute. Her fellow worshipers would need help unloading…meeting Huang for drinks had nothing to do with it.

.oOo.

November and Hei carefully laid April down on her bed, pulling the cover up around her chin. She was moaning a little in pain and November, for one of the first times that he could remember, felt like a fish out of water. What was the best course of action? Should he be talking to this Huang he had heard so much about to get April some help? The hospital wouldn't be safe for her…

Hei left the room, leaving him to stare at April and then pull out his cell phone which had pinged into the silent room. He had changed his ring tone for her, maybe without really thinking about it.

It was a text from Astronomics, from Misaki's friend, Kanami. "We saw April's star fall. We're being told an anti-contractor device was in use tonight so don't panic. We're working on it."

Then another ping, this time from Huang. "Tomorrow 9 AM. Police HQ."

.oOo.

Hei walked back into the common area, where Misaki was smiling happily, seemingly unable to figure out she needed to go to bed. Her eyes were slightly glazed over and the little red dot on her arm looked angry, as the needle hadn't had a clean entry with all the movement.

"I _really_ like stars, Hei," Misaki was saying, watching him as he went to get the first aid kit in the kitchen to disinfect the injection site.

"Yeah?" Hei asked, trying to keep her calm. He found the spray bottle of isopropanol and some cotton pads in the box beneath the sink. He grabbed them and a band-aid.

"Did we get them?"

"Sure, we did." Hei approached her slowly and sprayed the alcohol onto the cotton ball. "It was mostly you though," he continued. "We wouldn't have gotten the information without you."

Misaki continued to grin at him. When Hei applied the disinfectant to her arm, it stung and she slapped him across the face. "What was that for?" she snapped.

"Sorry!" Hei said, putting his hands in the air. "Just trying to help. It looks like it could get infected."

"R-really?" Misaki deflated again, a crease forming between her brows, before sticking out her arm with a brave face. "Okay, do it then."

Hei couldn't help but admire her courage, even if she was seriously out of it. He gently took her arm and tried again, then placed a band-aid over the area with a slight smile on his face. "There. All better!"

Her smile could light up a room—did light up the room. "I _love_ you!" She lunged at him suddenly, throwing her arms around his neck, before kissing him right on the lips.

For a moment, Hei couldn't move. He could feel his face heat up and he tentatively brought his arms up to return the hug. She was out of it, he told himself, even as his lips moved against hers. But she had said she _loved_ him and wouldn't she be devastated if he threw her across the room now? As gently as he could, he separated her from him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He told himself he was doing the mature thing as he slowly backed away and out the balcony. Hei took one last look at Misaki, who had raised her hand to touch her lips, looking confused and alone, before swinging off the balcony and into the night. He wasn't really running from his feelings, he tried to convince himself. It wouldn't have been right to continue when she was clearly not in her right mind.

Hei landed by the outdoor theater, casually stepping onto the sidewalk from the dark alleyway. Maybe what scared him the most was that he loved her too. He loved her hair and her smile and her personality and even the way she smelled, because he knew who Misaki Kirihara was. She was a cop, a woman of strong morals and values. But she claimed to love him, as drugged as she was, and she didn't really know who he was…at all. Hei couldn't help but feel that his world would come crumbling down as soon as she learned Hei and BK-201 were the same. He pulled the moonstone out from under his shirt and looked at it. Such a small little white pebble, but it stood between the world as he knew it and the world he knew would have to come, one in which Misaki Kirihara would look at him with nothing but loathing. If not for being a wanted criminal, for lying about it. Somehow, he didn't think Misaki tolerated being lied to very well.

He continued to walk along the street, coming to a halt in front of the stone benches surrounding the outdoor stage. They were arranged in concentric circles and while outdoor concerts usually attracted a decent crowd, it was night (or early morning, however you looked at it) and no one was around…except a squat old lady was sitting on one of the stone benches close to the stage. She had long grey hair, wrapped in a bun except for two strands on either side of her face. Without turning around, the woman had raised a hand and gestured to come closer. As Hei saw no one else around them, the message was meant for him. His eyes narrowed and he approached cautiously. The woman wore sandals and a purple wrap dress. It didn't _seem_ as if she would be killing him any time tonight. Still, Hei kept his hands loose and at the ready to grab for the hilt of his knife.

"Come closer, child. Don't be afraid," the woman said with a deep croak. She turned her head to get a good look at him as Hei sat down beside her on the stone bench. "Ah," she smiled warmly, "I was wondering when our stars would cross, BK-201."

* * *

**A/N: Well...lots happened in this chapter! Misaki is still drugged, so that's my only excuse for any OOC-ness in this chapter. Don't worry, more realistic Hei/Misaki to come! (We have many more chapters to go!)**

**Next up: The Shore (6 Parts)**

**Thank you for all your lovely reviews. Reviews are always welcome!**


	13. The Shore, Part 1

**A/N: Thank you guys for all of the wonderful reviews last chapter! I was rewatching DTB all week and then decided to watch Requiem for a Phantom because according to the internet they're similar...I'm not sure about that. DTB has much deep characterization, in my opinion, while Requiem was just...depressing? The characters were pretty trapped and powerless from the start and Ein was more of a victim then a heroine. Misaki, on the other hand, is a true equal to Hei. I did think the training sequence was interesting though. I never really thought about how a contractor might get formal training...**

**Anyway, please enjoy!**

* * *

**Ch 13. The Shore, Part 1**

"Come closer, child. Don't be afraid," the woman said with a deep croak. She turned her head to get a good look at him as Hei sat down beside her on the stone bench. "Ah," she smiled warmly, "I was wondering when our stars would cross, BK-201."

Hei remained silent, unsure what to make of this strange encounter.

"Not much of a talker then, are you? My name is Hoshimi. You might have heard of me as Stargazer?"

That made Hei pay attention. Mao had mentioned something about Hoshimi becoming more active lately, but he somehow doubted they just let her walk around outside on her own, at night. Then again, the Alma Institute was all about doll independence, so what did he know? Hoshimi looked ancient, more than ancient, with wide sparkling eyes that belied her age. She had a mass of grey hair that was rolled up in a bun on top of her head and had a wooden cane leaning on the bench next to her. This was Hoshimi, the first doll.

"I'm sorry," Hei said. "It's an honor to meet you, Hoshimi." He stuck out his hand and Hoshimi took it.

"The pleasure's all mine…I come out here when I can't sleep," Hoshimi spoke, raising her eyes to the stars. "It's been so long since I've been able to move my joints around. Sometimes I fear that if I go to sleep, I won't wake up again, and my poor hair will be matted beneath that ugly helmet! And besides, Hei, sometimes I just don't want to dream again."

"Nightmares?" Hei asked softly. He knew the feeling.

Hoshimi nodded her great big head. "The same one over and over. You see, before the Gates, I had a family, grandchildren even. My daughter's family took a vacation in Brazil before I even knew what the Gates were. Next thing I knew, Heaven's War had swallowed Brazil whole and my family disappeared with it. I cried for days, months, years, and then I slowly became numb. I was turning to stone. It's a common story, one that I share with many dolls and contractors around the world." She turned her large eyes to Hei. "Hmmm, but your story is one for the books, I'd wager. Don't worry, you don't have to tell me. I've seen it all, written in the stars." She swept her arms across the sky in explanation. "What a pair you two make. _Black and white, yin and yang…_ "

Hei was worried that Hoshimi had fallen into some sort of trance because she had shut her eyes and had begun to hum. "Are you…?"

Hoshimi opened her eyes again in a flash. "But enough about me. What brings you out here tonight?"

"Oh, me?" Hei asked, taken aback.

"Obviously, something is on your mind if you're taking walks at this ungodly hour. You can tell me, child. I'm very good at keeping secrets, hmm, and even better at giving advice, if I do say so myself."

The intensity of her gaze unnerved him and he found himself looking up at the night sky as well. When he spoke, it was to the stars. "I, um…" Should he really be telling her this? "I…I kissed someone I shouldn't have." There. Done.

"Oh?" Stargazer leaned in. " _Do_ tell."

Hei couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face at this otherworldly being eager for gossip. "Well, she's this wonderful person—much too good for someone like me, and I…I think I have the same feelings for her as she _might_ for me. Except she doesn't know who am I. And I don't know how or when to tell her, or how she'll react. And when she kissed me tonight, I—she, she wasn't really in her right mind. I shouldn't have taken advantage of her like that."

Hoshimi was gazing at him with kind eyes. "Sounds like quite a dilemma. This woman wouldn't happen to be Police Chief Kirihara, now would it?"

Hei choked on his spit.

"I see everything, Hei. Don't forget that just because I'm not plugged into the wires now doesn't mean I'm not still _the_ Stargazer." She laughed loudly into the night, a cackle that had birds flying from the trees. "Give it time, my little star. I'm sure not everything is lost. Oh, and when you go back to the suite later, you might want to pick her up some hair-ties, the pink ones."

"Oh, uh. Thank you…" Hei started to get up. "I hope you'll be able to get some sleep, Hoshimi."

She waved him off. "If I'm lucky I'll be able to have that good dream tonight of seeing my family again." She sighed dramatically. "I just have to remember to be patient. They'll come back soon…"

Hei paused in his ascension up the steps, turning around to look at her. "How?" he asked seriously, feeling as if he were being let in on a grave secret.

Hoshimi's eyes rested on his moonstone, like a magpie might eye up a gem. "The moon will guide their way."

.oOo.

April woke up feeling like she had just been run over by a truck. Her limbs felt all twisted around and heavy, and her forehead pounded. She just wanted to go back to bed or cry or vomit. Her entire body screamed at her, warning her that something was wrong. WRONG. Something was wrong.

"It's gone," April said, her voice cracking.

Distantly, she registered that November was there beside her. His cool palm slid across her forehead before he brushed back her turquoise hair. "What's gone?" he asked softly, though he had a feeling he knew what the answer was.

"I can't feel it anymore. It's gone," April repeated. "My _powers_ …urgh, I think I need a beer."

November nodded. He was on the case. Slowly, November got out of bed and padded to their bedroom door. Normal people needed fluids when they were running a fever…but beer couldn't hurt, right? He opened the door and blinked twice as Misaki stood there in her pajamas, looking like she had seen a ghost. He was surprised that she was even up at all, considering how out-of-it she had been last night.

"I can't find Hei!" Misaki blurted out, wringing her hands. She had woken up in bed…alone. The drug had already been wearing off last night and by daybreak, she was as lucid as ever. She had thought that maybe Hei was in the bathroom or hanging out in the common area, but as the events of last night slowly trickled back in, she began to worry that maybe Hei was gone _for good_. "Oh my god, Hei is missing! I can't find him anywhere!"

April perked her head up from the bed. "Slow down, Misaki. I've got a headache."

"Yes, maybe try a little slower. Now, what exactly happened last night?"

That's right…she couldn't really expect them to understand the gravity of the situation if she didn't _explain_ the situation. And what a pickle it was. Misaki swallowed down her pride and tried to calm her nerves, feeling all at once embarrassed and ashamed that she had scared Hei off and perhaps cost them a team member. Taking a deep breath, she shut her eyes and said, "I _kissed_ him." Her eyes snapped open as another thought hit her. "He thinks I did it because I was drugged!"

November frowned, unused to seeing Misaki frazzled about anything. "Well…were you?"

"Yes! But that's not why I kissed him. I did it because I wanted to!" She looked around the apartment as if Hei were playing hide-and-seek and would pop out at any moment. "Where is HE?"

November walked over to the fridge and grabbed a beer can, opened it and stuck a straw in it. Then he walked back to the bedroom, keeping the door open and handed it to April.

"It's highly unlikely that you hurt his feelings," November said calmly. "It's obvious that Hei is head over heels for you."

April took a deep sip of her beer. " _Ahh_ …" She propped herself up with November's pillow on top of her own. "Yeah, it's much more likely he thinks he was taking advantage of _you_. You were drugged, after all."

That…made sense. Misaki frowned, thinking about all the possible ways her actions last night might have led to multiple miscommunications. The last thing she wanted was for Hei to feel like it was _his_ fault that she had been drugged. It was no one's fault but Drayton's and Drayton had gotten his comeuppance, or at least, she imagined that he was lying prone last time she saw him…something about a flash of light? She rubbed her eyes tiredly. Maybe she should just go back in bed.

"If he comes back, don't let him leave until I get to talk to him, alright?" Misaki ordered.

As if on cue, the door opened. Hei stood there in the door frame, dressed in a red tee that said TOKYO! and blue jeans. (He had "stolen" the clothes early in the morning from a tourist shop and left some cash on the counter so he wasn't seen walking around in his, ahem, work clothes.) He instantly felt the shift in the room as he took his first step inside and inwardly groaned. He thought for sure that Misaki would have slept in this morning, or rather, he had hoped she wouldn't have had to wake up alone, or remember the way he had basically jumped out the window to escape…

"I…um…I brought breakfast," he said lamely, holding up a plastic takeout bag. He could feel his face burning up. "And, oh, I uh, I thought you might be out of these." He held out a packet of pink hair-ties to Misaki, the kind he knew she liked, with the no-slip grip so that her pony tail didn't constantly fall out. She took them, brushing his hand as she did so.

"T-thank you, Hei." He was so close to her that her nose could pick up the delicious scent of what was in the takeout container. "Is that…duck?" Misaki asked hopefully, drawn in a little closer.

"You always ordered it, so I thought you might like it," Hei said awkwardly. He wondered if now was the right moment to disclose just how much attention he had paid to her eating habits while working as a waiter.

"Hei, this is…" she faltered, thinking she had better start elsewhere. "About last night…"

"You don't need to explain," Hei said quickly. "You weren't well, and I shouldn't have—"

"No, I wasn't well," Misaki conceded, "but I _wanted_ to do that."

The last part of her statement was said so boldly that it sounded like a dare. Her chocolate brown eyes searched his, looking for a kindred signal, some sign that he had felt it too.

Lost in her eyes, Hei felt the truth slip from his lips. "Me too."

.oOo.

It was determined that April was to be treated like any other sick patient while November was off to the meeting. This meant plenty of liquids and making sure she was comfortable sitting in bed. While April didn't blame Hei in the least for what had happened to her, Hei couldn't help but suffer quietly, stewing in his guilt that had April _had_ the moonstone, she wouldn't now be vomiting every half hour. He couldn't say this though, and instead suggested to Misaki that he would fulfill his promise to her: to teach her to cook. Not fried rice though, but _jiaozi_. Little pork and cabbage dumplings.

He remembered making them for Bai when she was sick, like their mother used to, how the warm familiar taste of their childhood would fill her with optimism, like a hug from within. The main ingredients were pork and Napa cabbage, along with ginger, garlic, and scallions. It seemed like Bai remembered them too, as their kitchenette had all the required ingredients. It was as close to a apology as he could get without giving himself away. He owed April a good meal at least.

He and Misaki set to work, chopping the ingredients and adding them to the bowl. Hei put together the dough, rolling out little balls that would later be flattened into dumpling wrappers.

"I always wanted to learn how to cook," Misaki said wistfully as they worked. "My mother used to love cooking. I always thought I'd be as good a chef as she was someday."

Hei could hear the tinge of sadness in her voice and recalled that while her father was the Division Chief, he hadn't heard much about her mother. "It just takes practice," Hei said patiently. "You're doing well, just make sure to tuck your fingers inward, so you don't accidently chop one off."

"Got it. Thanks."

Misaki had selected a small steak knife to chop the garlic, even though Hei knew a larger chef's knife would cut it much more cleanly. _The sharper, the better_ , in Hei's opinion, but he knew what Misaki was comfortable with and let her start where she wanted. They could work up to bigger knives in the future. And just when had he started to think about the future…with Misaki?

Hei continued to roll the dough, wondering if he should ask her about her mother, as Misaki had brought it up, but then he worried if that would lead to questions about his own family. Questions he wasn't prepared to answer yet. So he continued to work, commenting on her technique now and again, but mostly just enjoying their time together. Cutting vegetables for jiaozi wasn't exactly rocket science. Even children could do it.

Once they had the dough and the filling ready, Hei showed her how to shape the dumpling, wetting the edges with water before pinching the little pocket closed.

"It looks so easy when you do it," Misaki pouted, looking at her lopsided, mangled ravioli beside Hei's magnificent masterpiece.

"They all taste the same," Hei reassured her. "You'll get the hang of it."

She watched as his fingers worked, quick and professional, shaping the dough to his will. Each dumpling became another identical trophy hot off of the assembly line, and her mouth watered just thinking about how good they would taste.

In the end, Misaki managed to make a few decent ones, but it was painfully obvious which ones she had made and which ones she hadn't. She couldn't bring herself to feel bad about it though, because Hei beamed with pride beside her. She set a pot of water to boil, _that_ she could do, and helped Hei clean up the mess. Him washing, her drying.

By the time the water was boiling, the kitchen was close to spotless again. Misaki plopped a dozen dumplings into the pot and stirred them around so that they wouldn't stick to each other or to the bottom of the pan. Then, they waited.

"Hei, tell me…I didn't do or say anything else last night, did I?" Misaki stared at the dumplings in the water, scared to hear the answer.

"Not really." Hei shook his head, digging through the drawers for a skimmer spoon. He wasn't going to hold Misaki to her confession of love and he didn't want her to feel awkward about it either. If she couldn't remember it, then that was for the best, Hei decided.

"Good," Misaki said relieved, the tension draining out of her.

"You just said you liked the stars," Hei said, not thinking too much of it. He found the spoon among the spatulas and took it out, not noticing the way Misaki tensed like a cat about to bolt.

"Anything else?" Misaki ventured to ask.

Hei shook his head again. "No, you were pretty out of it."

Misaki sighed out a breath of relief. It was true: Misaki did like the stars, _a lot_. And one star in particular. She liked that one star so much that it hurt, and the last thing she wanted was for Hei to know it… Because the thing was, she had wanted to kiss Hei last night, she was sure of it. She remembered feeling safe in his arms, trusting him to carry her to safety when things spun out of control… _but_ she also recalled feeling a little groggy last night.

From the time she thought she imagined a flash of lightning in Drayton's room, to the time she was pressing her lips to Hei's in the hotel suite, Misaki hadn't been one hundred percent sure that BK-201 _was_ dead. Shamefully, in her addled state, she hated to admit that she might have _accidently_ merged the two—Hei and BK-201, swirled into a marble. It was a bad habit that had started in her dreams. It wasn't her fault that they were both attractive, athletically built, lithe, quick, dark-haired, able…

She watched Hei take the dumplings out, one or two at a time, scared that he could read her mind. As odd as the situation was, her confused kiss with Hei could hardly be construed as cheating _…_ even _if_ BK-201 had been partially on her mind at the time. But BK-201 was _dead_. Hei was real, solid, and _alive_. He even _smelled_ wonderful, like duck and dumplings. She could touch him and kiss him and work with him: Things that _would and could_ never be with BK-201.

Kanami would have laughed at her then, calling her stupid for even hanging on to a pipe dream, when a perfectly edible specimen was here in front of her—and clearly more than happy to just spend time with her. And she liked Hei, she _really_ did. Ever since she had called upon "Li" for her case on Chiaki Shinoda, Misaki had always been attracted to Hei. The fact that he was even here now, working with her as part of the Syndicate, just had to be fate. The universe was literally dangling him in front of her. Wasn't that an answer enough? _Give up on BK-201, move on, choose Hei?_

They took the bowls of fully cooked jiaozi into April's room and sat down, Hei on the table, Misaki on the desk chair. Hei handed April a bowl with a napkin and waited for her reaction.

"Hmm, these are great, Hei, Misaki!" April grinned at them, truly touched by their efforts. "Thank you. I know I'll be right as _rain_ in no time…get it?"

Hei smiled brightly, dipping his head so that no one could see his eyes, and the guilt he was sure was swirling in them.

"I'm glad," he said, and took a bite.

* * *

**A/N: I love to make jiaozi at home! I always put mushrooms in mine and a sh*t ton of garlic.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter! Next up: a furry friend might join the gang...**


	14. The Shore, Part 2

**A/N: Warning, I'm taking major liberties with canon here. Instead of November and friends finding Havoc in Romania and escorting her to PANDORA, in this universe, Havoc came to Tokyo herself for the wedding and November's team was tasked with killing/capturing her while in Tokyo.**

**Also, this chapter is very important plot-wise. I hope you enjoy, especially when our furry friend returns...**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Ch 14. The Shore, Part 2**

November 11 had been to police headquarters a handful of times before. The first time was when he had met Misaki Kirihara. His first impression of her was that she was intelligent, extremely perceptive for her age, and had a strong sense of justice. She seemed to inspire loyalty from her section that went beyond the call of duty, something which elevated her immediately in November's eyes. After Decade had an unfortunate accident involving a croissant and a train, rendering their mission to capture Havoc meaningless, November, April, and July hung around the police station quite often. Misaki didn't seem to mind they were contractors or that July was a doll. In fact, she had been respectful and had treated them as if they were equals and not killing machines mindlessly doing someone else's bidding.

Now that he was working for the Syndicate, November figured the police station was as much as his "office" as it was Misaki's. It wasn't any secret in the contractor-known world that Section 4, Astronomics, and the Alma Institute were all controlled by the Syndicate, not that there weren't potential spies from other organizations. So November strolled on in, walking past the front security guards to the elevator.

No one bothered you, November learned, if you dressed well and acted like you knew where you were going. While Huang hadn't exactly told him where they would be meeting, November figured he'd just go to the fourth floor, where Section 4 had their offices, and hoped that they hadn't moved any of the rooms around in the week or so since his absence. If he remembered correctly, Director Hourai's office had been around the corner from the meeting room, so that's where he would head. Worst case scenario, he'd bother Saitou until someone came looking for him.

November walked into the elevator and pushed the button to go up to the fourth floor. He noticed July's specter in the elevator with him and gave it an imperceptible nod. Good thing too, because a lavender haired girl, with two yellow bows in her hair, stuck out her leg to keep the doors open and entered the elevator. She didn't say a word to November, just hit the button for floor number seven. Her eyes did, however, flicker towards July's specter, and then quickly away, much too quickly for someone who hadn't noticed it. November kept this to himself, as it wasn't a crime to be a contractor (or a doll) in the police station nowadays, for those who were in the know. Although, he did wonder what exactly was on the seventh floor.

The elevator doors slid open and November walked out with confident strides. The lavender haired girl didn't move as he exited the elevator, but he didn't have time to wonder about people and their lack of manners these days. The doors closed behind him and he continued down the hall where he knew the director's room would be located.

"We have found the spy and have dealt with them accordingly," came a hard voice from the other side of the door. November heard another man grunt, not giving an opinion one way or another. "She was an untested acquisition of the Syndicate's, and I am sorry that her thirst for knowledge turned out to work against us. Mina Kandaswamy became too interested in the anti-contractor devices and managed to smuggle a prototype out to IG-868, codename Indigo. I take full responsibility for not monitoring her activity more closely."

"Yeah, well don't let it happen again or it'll be your ass on the line."

"Of course, Director…Dr. Shroeder, I'll be waiting for you in the lobby."

The door opened and a tall Japanese man in a grey suit and flashing glasses stepped out. He gave November a cursory glance, one that spoke of a superiority complex, and brushed past him into an empty elevator. November waited until the elevator doors shut before taking a glance behind him. The elevator, rather than going down towards the lobby, was going up.

"Come in, November 11," a female voice spoke from within the room. The door was left ajar and November entered. He was surprised to find the woman he recognized as Bai sitting on a couch in a form-fitting blue business suit. A large, flashy diamond sat on her ring finger beside a simple silver ring. Next to her was an elderly man with a puff of white hair on his head whom November recognized as Dr. Schroeder from the wedding. Leaning against the wall, facing the door, was Huang, wearing a casual interpretation of a director's uniform, namely his regular clothes, complete with a brown cap.

"Mr. Nishijima was just explaining to us how an anti-contractor device managed to be manufactured and smuggled out of PANDORA's laboratories against orders," Bai said evenly. "Please, accept our deepest apologies. I hope April is alright."

"She's been better," November said mildly, putting on his charming façade as he continued to size up the room. "It didn't seem to affect her penchant for beer."

"That's good to hear," Bai said with a smile. November studied Bai as carefully as he dared without being too obvious about it. She was Hei's sister, which was enough to intrigue him. He could see the resemblance between them in her dark blue eyes, but unlike Hei, she seemed poised to the point of being cold, almost… like a contractor.

November had crossed off the possibility of Hei being a contractor after the anti-contractor device left him relatively unscathed, but that had just left more questions for November to explore. Why had a mere _human_ joined the Syndicate so early? And if he had joined to protect his sister, then why had the Syndicate been so interested in _her_? Studying the sister in question now, November was willing to bet his weight in gold that Bai was a contractor. She was too still, too poised, too blank for him to get a clear reading on.

Her apology had seemed sincere enough though, and that was pretty hard to fake, unless of course, she was extremely good at it. "Have a seat," Bai continued, completely at ease with November's staring. She gestured to the couch across from her and the professor. "We think we know of a cure for April's condition."

"Well, it's really quite interesting," Dr. Schroeder said, leaning forward in his seat as if he were overflowing with knowledge. "The Saturn Ring was designed to shoot anti-Gate particles at the core of Hell's Gate, effectively collapsing it. Both Gates act as a single unit, a tunnel system, if you will, and since Heaven's Gate was already made inaccessible due to—" Here, he glanced surreptitiously at Bai, gave a fake cough, and continued, "— _ahem_ , some unforeseeable events, the two gates would essentially become nonexistent, taking all the contractors and dolls with them! Not that…not that we _want_ to do that anymore. Still, it's an interesting bit of theoretical science!"

November knew all this before from the files that Misaki had managed to salvage from the PANDORA hard drive, but he nodded along anyway. "What does this have to do with April?" he asked.

"A smaller version of the Saturn ring was created without our permission and that was what was used on April," Bai said. "According to Astronomics, her star fell just past 12:31 am, cutting off access to her powers, but as you know, November, she's still very much alive."

"Humans are changed into contractors, similar to how the old sun was changed into this new one, one with a sun spot cycle that responds to the activities of the Gate," Dr. Schroeder picked up, getting so excited that spittle flew from his mouth. "It is only at the peak of the sun spot cycle that enough anti-Gate particles could have been weaponized for the gate's destruction, after all. _But_ contractors also respond to this changed sun, receiving their powers from it even during the night, and giving off synchrotron radiation in sync with the usage of their powers _and_ a resulting signal from their star!"

"In other words," November said, "The anti-contractor weapon severs the ties a contractor has to the sun, preventing them from using their powers and emitting synchrotron radiation that would otherwise keep their star in the sky. They get hit, boom, their star falls and they have no powers."

" _Precisely!_ "

"So how does this _help_ April?"

Dr. Schroeder looked between Bai and Huang eagerly. His eyes bugged out of his head and it seemed like he would piss himself with pride. He went to open to his mouth to give the defining blow, but he was cut short by a black cat that leapt onto the couch beside him. It seemed like it was Huang's cat as it had emerged from under his desk, but then the cat opened its mouth instead.

"Have you ever wondered about the moon?"

November gaped. "You're a cat."

"How astute of you." Mao gave Huang a tired look. "Well, aren't you going to introduce me?"

Huang rolled his eyes. "This is Mao. He's a cat. Get used to it. He'll be joining you from now on since April is indisposed."

"A cat…" November murmured to himself. This could be quite interesting.

"Don't let his size fool you. Mao's a solid asset," Huang said seriously. "Now, answer the question."

"The moon? Not particularly. I suppose you'll tell me that it's still there."

"Actually, it is," Mao confirmed. "But it's not _fully_ here."

"It's in a superposition of existence and nonexistence!" Dr. Schroeder cried out. "Just as the area around Heaven's Gate is both here and not here. Only when all the pieces are reunited will its fate be known!"

November stared at the scientist, dumbstruck. "I think I'm missing something here."

"What Dr. Schroeder is trying to say," Bai replied, "Is that we have recently discovered the existence of gate artifacts called moonstones. They are complementary to the meteor shards, which are small lenses found at each of the gates which amplify a contractor's connection to the sun, and thereby increase their powers. Moonstones, in contrast, tie a contractor's abilities to the moon. We believe that by studying them, we can derive a cure to combat the anti-Gate particles. There are seven moonstones in all, and only when all seven are together will the moon return to us. Both gates will become a part of our world and will be protected from ever being destroyed again, ensuring eternal coexistence between humans and those changed by the gates."

"The other possibility is that the moon really doesn't exist and the areas around both gates will be inaccessible forever, causing a similar explosion to occur at Hell's Gate which will wipe Japan off the map!" Dr. Schroeder said, but then he pouted. "Of course, I lied a bit when I said its existence was in a suspended state of superposition. Unlike Schroedinger's cat paradox, we do have strong evidence to believe the moon _is_ really here, just not visible, so the risk is quite technically nonexistent…"

"I take it that you already know the location of these moonstones and want us to track them down?" November asked smoothly.

Bai shook her head. "We don't know where they all are, but we have a few hunches. It isn't safe to tell you everything we know at once, either, as every intelligence agency in the world would stop at nothing to get their hands on a single one of these. Their powers are largely unexplored and even one in the wrong hands could be disastrous. That's why, when you do find one, don't let April touch it under any circumstances in case it reacts badly."

She failed to mention that she knew exactly what the moonstones did and that Hei wore one around his neck. If Hei hadn't revealed his true identity to his new friends yet, then she certainly wasn't going to rush him. "We suspect that one is in the possession of LN-952, a contractor who used to be employed by the Syndicate. Code name, Midas. He can turn anything he touches into gold and his payment is to bite coins."

She also didn't tell him that the reason she knew Midas had the moonstone was that his star had stopped glowing in the sky, just as Hei's had when he put it around his neck. Only Atlas, Bai, and Hoshimi really understood the moonstones, while Dr. Schroeder only had a vague outline from a theoretical understanding. The only one at PANDORA who perhaps knew as much as they had had been Mina Kandaswamy. Bai frowned as she considered that Mina's memory had most likely been wiped, as was standard protocol for traitors…that, or Mina was killed.

"Unfortunately, we don't know what they look like," Bai continued, still covering for Hei. "They could be any shape, any size, any color. But we suspect they are rough, gray rocks, perhaps even like geodes. Until we can get all seven together, April should be okay, just physically weak. There's also a possibility that we can make a cure from just one. We're not sure yet. We've sent along a wheel-chair to the hotel for your convenience, and of course, you'll have Mao to make up for it."

November nodded, glancing down at the black cat. "I understand."

"Mao has been briefed on everything you need to know about Midas and his suspected location," Bai said, "And since Mao is connected directly to our servers, we'll be able to update you as you make progress."

They were going to be feeding him scraps of information through a robo-cat? November shrugged good-humoredly. He always liked a good adventure.

"Alright, Mr. Cat. Shall we go?" November asked, scooping up the grumpy Mao into his arms.

"You can carry me this time, pretty boy, but only because the hotel is too damn far away," Mao yowled, making himself comfortable.

Hmm, the cat was starting to grow on him.

.oOo.

When November returned to the hotel, April was up, still in bed, with a glass of water on her table. Mmm, and something smelled wonderful too! November dragged the folded up wheelchair into the suite, keeping Mao in his other arm. Misaki and Hei were in her room with her, laughing.

"I swear it's true," Misaki said, punching Hei lightly on the arm. "He really was buying women's underwear."

"Like I said, it was for a friend," Hei said, ducking his head as he blushed. "Ah, I hope you don't get the wrong idea, November." He turned towards the door, hearing it open. To his surprise, November was not alone.

"Isn't that Yin's cat?" Misaki asked, aghast. "November, I hope you didn't just steal a blind girl's cat."

"Hey!" Mao said, jumping to the ground, startling April and Misaki. November smirked as Mao made his grand entrance. "Yin and I may be friends, but I'm not something that can just be owned, you know."

April fixed November with a sour look. "They're replacing me…with a cat."

"Not just any cat, a _talking_ cat. Apparently, our new bosses work in mysterious ways," November said, highly amused.

"Wait…Hei, did you know about this?" Misaki asked, remembering when she had seen Huang, Yin, and now Mao at the restaurant and then at the wedding. He had told them he worked with Yin and Huang, but he had failed to mention that the black cat was a contractor. Had he just forgotten to tell them in light of everything else…or had he _conveniently_ failed to mention it?

"Uh, yeah," Hei said, forcing a smile on his face. "We used to work together with Yin and Huang. Doing odd jobs, this and that."

Mao snorted, "That's one way to put it. Funnily enough, I never considered assassination to be an odd job."

Out of nowhere, Hei began to laugh awkwardly. "Uh, could you excuse us for a minute?" He swept Mao off the floor and fairly flew to the balcony, shutting the door behind them.

"Oof! What was that for?" Mao asked, glaring at Hei.

"I haven't told them."

Mao gaped at him. "You haven't told them," he deadpanned.

"They think BK-201 is dead. I'm wearing the moonstone, remember?"

"Yeah, but Hei, they're on your team. I thought for sure by now…" Mao shook his head. "It's that lady cop, isn't it?"

Hei passed a hand over his face. "I'm working on it, Mao. She just told me she loved me, but that was only because she was drugged, she can't even remember it—long story. I just….I want to tell her, but—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you think that the whole Black Reaper thing will put her off." Mao finished, full of insight. "Hmm, yeah I can see that. So what are you planning to do?"

"Well, you just told them our team _assassinates_ people," Hei said, frustrated. "And they definitely won't believe that Yin is the one doing it."

Mao licked his paw, nonplussed. "Huang—" he suggested.

"He's not built like an assassin, Mao. He hardly _walks_ fast enough."

Mao sighed heavily. "What did you say you did?"

"I told them I worked for the Syndicate as a tactician."

"Tactician, huh? So I suppose you want me to go back in there and tell them _I_ assassinate people?"

Hei smiled. "I knew you were intelligent, Mao."

Mao snorted, thinking about how he would sell them his bullshit cover story. "Fine, but you _owe_ me one, Hei. I want you to bring me that high quality salmon for _a month_. Not that shitty canned stuff Huang's always slopping into my bowl."

Hei breathed out a sigh of relief and scratched Mao behind the ears as a reward. "Thank you, Mao."

"Yeah, what are friends for?"

When they came back into the suite, everyone was sitting around April's bed, chatting quietly. All eyes turned to them as they stood in the doorway, not even bothering to hide the fact they were all talking about him.

"So your team used to assassinate people, huh?" Misaki asked in a deceptively calm voice. It was her right to be pissed, considering it was her city they had been operating in. "I haven't heard you say you did that before, Hei." Her eyes were sharp. A lesser feline would have flinched beneath her glare.

"That's because Hei only _made_ the plans," Mao said loudly, jumping up onto the bed. "He's good with plotting and stuff, but Hei's too clumsy to pull off a deadly operation." Mao strutted around the bed, tail high in the air. "Don't forget that _I'm_ the contractor here. No one ever suspects a cat before it's too late."

Misaki still looked at Mao doubtfully, but Hei could see her contemplating his words. "So you claw them to death, do you?" Misaki asked, raising a supercilious eyebrow.

Mao beamed. "Puss-in-Boots, that's me!"

* * *

**A/N: Please Review!**

**The plot thickens...**


	15. The Shore, Part 3

**A/N: Hi everyone! Just graduated today, yay! It's been pretty hectic at home, so that's my only excuse for why this is coming out a little late. Don't worry, I am working hard to complete this story! Thank you again for all the lovely reviews.**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Ch 15. The Shore, Part 3**

Hei was never so thankful for Mao in that moment, not even when Mao had jumped on his enemy's head to save him from getting shot. When the words, _Puss-in-Boots_ left his mouth, Hei knew they had them hook, line, and sinker.

Misaki began questioning Mao about all his misadventures, and it was entertaining to say the least when Mao reported how he had clawed someone's eyes out or went undercover in a cat lady's house to plant bombs. Assassination was somehow more acceptable in Misaki's eyes when it was performed by a cute little kitty. Hei had a feeling that he wouldn't get off half so easy if Misaki learned the truth— _when_ he told her the truth, whenever he plucked up the courage and the timing was right…

"I never thought about animals being turned into contractors before," Misaki had confessed, throwing her hair in a bun with her new hair ties. "Maybe we should have Section 4 patrolling the zoos and parks now."

Hei was taking off his shirt, facing away from her out of modesty. "Animals can't become contractors," he said.

"But—"

"Mao's a body jumper," Hei explained. "He can possess the bodies of animals."

He could hear the cogs working in her head. "So does that mean…?"

Hei nodded. He and Mao had never talked about it explicitly, but he knew enough. "His price is paid in full now."

Misaki frowned. She had never heard of such a thing, of prices being paid fully. What was to stop a contractor from using their powers indiscriminately if even their one incentive for self-regulation was eliminated? She watched Hei, lost in thought, as he grabbed his new night shirt that had a row of buttons down the front. He was almost done buttoning them when she gently tapped his shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"Wha…?" he asked openly, unaware that the moonstone now peeked out from his unbuttoned top.

"Oh," Misaki said, mesmerized by the little stone. She had wanted to kiss him, perhaps, while she was fully herself this time. Hei had seemed to ease into the idea of being more _friendly_ with her throughout the day, making jiaozi with her and reminiscing about all the times they had run into each other before, but as bedtime came around, he had seemed to retreat into himself, as if unsure if it was still appropriate to share a bed now that everything had changed. Now though, the little stone sparkled in the light and had captured her attention.

"What is it?" Hei asked, concernedly. "Did I do something wrong?" He looked so sad, like a lost puppy.

"No, I was just admiring your necklace," Misaki said. "It's so beautiful. I've never noticed it before."

"Oh," Hei said, gradually relaxing again. "I guess I've never really changed in front of you before."

"That would…" Misaki swallowed, eyes flickering across his exposed collarbones, "explain things…I wouldn't mind, you know."

Hei bent down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. "I wouldn't mind seeing more of you either, Misaki."

Something inside her felt all warm and fuzzy as he wrapped his arms around her, lifted her up, and deposited her carefully on their bed.

"I have to know though," Misaki said, in between their kisses, "You won't run away in the middle of the night again, will you?"

"Not a chance," Hei said.

Apart from divesting most of their clothes, as adults do when they want to get down to business, nothing happened apart from kisses and caresses. For one thing, they were just exploring this aspect of their tentative relationship.

For another thing, both were weighed down by their own guilty secrets. Hei couldn't bring himself to mislead Misaki any further, and to be more intimate with her under a pretense was another layer of betrayal he didn't want to cross. In contrast, Misaki's guilt stemmed from a thought-crime, because even as she nestled into Hei's arms, her dreams pulled her under like the tide, and she was once more back again beneath the moon, crying her eyes out along the shore, and attempting to raise BK-201 from the dead.

Neither one of them voiced their fears as they hugged one another, and slowly, they each fell asleep.

.oOo.

In the morning, Misaki rolled out of bed in only her bra and pajama pants. She reached for her phone on her night stand out of habit and cringed when she read the message. She sighed and padded into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Hei, meanwhile, was blinking up at the ceiling, wondering if Misaki was alright. He heard the sound of water running in the shower and figured he might as well leave the bedroom to give her some space.

"Oh, it's just you," November said as Hei padded into the common area.

"Huh?"

"Well, I was hoping to wish Misaki a happy birthday," November said, looking at Hei. "You…did know it was her birthday, right?"

Hei shook his head. It hadn't come up before, though November did say it was approaching just a few days ago. Should he have gotten her something?

"Don't look so worried, Hei," Mao said, "I'm sure you can find her something down at the boardwalk later."

"Like I said," November chuckled, "He'd make a terrible spy."

Mao was rolling on the floor laughing (literally) at that, probably more so because November didn't know the half of it. Hei just shrugged good-humoredly.

Last night, Mao and November had prepped everyone on the case with Midas and the moonstone. Astronomics had tracked him headed towards Hitode Harbor, but that had been a few days ago. All they had told them was that he was moving too fast and had lost him, and so it would make sense for Hei's team to scout out the harbor a day before they believed Midas would actually arrive. Hei supposed that if he had wanted to escape the Syndicate, a boat wasn't a bad idea. Hell, he knew Huang had an arrangement ready with a small boat captain just in case any of them had needed to run.

It didn't appear as if anyone beyond the briefing meeting knew Midas was in possession of the moonstone, and it didn't appear as if Bai had shared with anyone that the moonstone hid the contractor's star. Thus, Astronomics simply believed that Midas had perhaps been hit with an anti-contractor device and was unable to track his movements. Additionally, Hei reasoned that Bai hadn't told November what the moonstone looked like as November didn't suspect that Hei was wearing one, though Huang, Bai, and Yin were aware…and perhaps some others too, like Atlas, July, and Hoshimi. He wondered if that was out of sibling love or part of Amber's greater plan. There was nothing against him sharing who he was with his team, he supposed. Amber and Bai had only ever told him not to take it off, not that he couldn't tell what it was. Still…that just put the ball back into his court, and he already knew the clock was ticking.

"Yeah, maybe I will find something for Misaki at the shore," Hei said. "Thanks, you guys."

.oOo.

November was pushing April around in her wheelchair with Mao sitting contentedly in her lap. It was a warm day out, full of sunshine, which made Mao purr happily as it heated his pelt. Plus, April was petting him absentmindedly and that just felt like heaven.

They could see ships, large and small, docked in the harbor, while families, some with small children, played on the white sand of the beach. Ever since the anti-contractor weapon incident, November had seriously backed off from accusing Hei of being a contractor, though he had hinted on more than one occasion that he thought Bai was a little _stiff_ and _aloof_. He wasn't wrong though. Bai was pretty emotional by Hei's standards, displaying affection and concern, but maybe that was only because he had gotten used to the Bai of Heaven's War. She was evolving, just as they all were, but the emotionless scent still clung around her. It was only natural that November would pick that up. It didn't seem to pose a problem though, and Hei almost felt like he had a partner in November.

"Hei, didn't you say you had to pick something up?" November asked nonchalantly, as they strolled along the boardwalk with half-clad teenagers and frumpy old bodies.

"Oh, yeah," Hei said, feigning as if he had just suddenly remembered an errand. "Are you sure you'll be alright though if I step out for a second?"

"LN-952 shouldn't be here for a day yet, so I'm sure we'll be fine," Misaki said, "Call if you need anything."

That was another thing that had changed recently. They had each exchanged phone numbers, as if they were all friends. In the past, Hei only needed to contact his teammates by radio. In Heaven's War, he didn't even have that most of the time. He could still remember shouting through the jungle for Bai to answer him, so that he knew where to run. With Mao, Yin, and Huang, texting was unnecessary. Mao preferred the radio already lodged in his brain and Yin hadn't ever needed to text or call him before. Huang had a few burner phones, great for calling undercover, but that was about it and Hei had accidently fried so many of his that the Syndicate had to send him a custom phone that he now carried around with him. A phone with a fake call button and that now held Misaki, November, and April's numbers, along with those of the rest of Section 4, though he couldn't imagine contacting them.

"Great, thanks," Hei smiled, and took his exit. He waited until they were further down the boardwalk to contemplate his next move. After seeing how Misaki liked his moonstone last night, had seemed almost mesmerized by it, Hei wondered if he could find something similar to it, perhaps a pearl or another white gemstone…

Hei ended up wandering into a Hitode Harbor staple, a family-owned operation since the forties called _Ocean's Treasure_ boutique. Inside was an array of fine jewelry inside locked display cases, ranging from sterling silver charm bracelets to full on wedding rings. It was clear that they were serious about their business, catering to those couples who decided to have weddings on the white sands of Hitode, unlike the cheap children's jewelry that filled most of the other souvenir shops.

The owner was an elderly gentleman named Mr. Nakano. He had a few scraps of white hair left and stood slightly hunched over most of the time as he meticulously cleaned his entire inventory. He was doing that just now, squinting at the details on a peridot inlaid golden broach, rubbing it with a polishing cloth.

"One second," he muttered without turning around. "I almost got it."

"Take your time," Hei said, surveying the shop and all it had to offer. He was soon drawn to the rings as he knew Misaki didn't wear earrings, and a matching necklace just felt too much like he were suggesting they be camp buddies…Hei could feel his heart racing. It wasn't as if he were buying an engagement ring or anything, so why was he feeling so nervous? It was just a simple birthday gift, maybe something more, but certainly not anything binding.

"Ah, what can I help you find?" Mr. Nakano asked, slowly coming over to the front counter after putting the broach away. His nametag read, _Mr. Nakano, Owner_. "Oh, you're interested in rings, are you?" Bringing people together was one of Mr. Nakano's favorite hobbies, not to mention it was good business.

"No! I mean, yes, but not to propose or anything." Hei sighed. "It's my friend's birthday today and I thought I'd get her something special."

"Uh-huh." Mr. Nakano pursed his lips. "And what would your _friend_ like?"

Hei pointedly ignored his inflection of the word _friend_ and answered, "Something simple, but nice."

"You calling my store _gaudy_?"

"No, no!" This was not going well. Almost certainly sure he shouldn't be doing this, Hei pulled the moonstone out of his shirt. "She, uh, likes this a lot. I was wondering if there was anything like it."

"Oooh…" Mr. Nakano's eyes lit up. "I think I have just what you're looking for," he said, taking his keys from his pocket and unlocking one of the display cases. He pulled out a rack of rings with different colored stones in them and brought it out for Hei to see. "This one, here," he said, plucking it out of line and placing it into Hei's palm. "Everyone passes over it because they think it's too plain and small, but looks can be deceiving." He grinned at Hei and whispered, "It's pretty expensive."

Hei held the little ring in his hand. The little white stone in the middle certainly _was_ small, so small that it seemed like a grain of rice. Unlike the real moonstone, which he had hurriedly put under his shirt again, this stone was polished and was perfectly shaped.

He didn't even bother to look at the price tag before he said, "Alright, I'll buy it."

It was the thought that counted, and it wasn't like he wasn't being paid handsomely by the Syndicate. He had a tidy sum saved up, and if he ever had to splurge on a purchase, now would be the time.

Mr. Nakano smiled ear to ear. "Thank you. I know your _friend_ will appreciate it."

Hei put the ring, now in a little box, into his pocket as he exited the shop. It didn't take long to spot November and April by the entrance of the beach, and he quickly made his way over to them.

"Found something?" Mao asked as Hei approached. It was only Mao, April, and November. No Misaki in sight.

"Yeah, I did. Thanks," Hei said. "But, uh, where's Misaki?"

November pointed out over the railing. "She wanted to take a walk," he said. "And wheelchairs and sand don't really mix, so we're waiting here for her." He gave Hei a knowing look. "But nothing is stopping you from going after her."

Hei blushed, already spotting Misaki along the shore, walking in the direction of the boats. "Yeah…"

Hei walked down the ramp leading from the boardwalk to the beach, not even caring that he knew April, Mao, and November were paying rapt attention to him. He only had eyes for Misaki.

She was making her way along the beach, her hair tied back in a pink ponytail so it wouldn't whip around and hit her in the face. Her shoes were clutched in her hands and her toes sank into the white sands of Hitode. The air, the sand, the vast expanse of sky…all reminded her of her dream. Except of course, there was no moon and there was no masked man lying on the ground. Still, she had felt a need to pay homage, or perhaps just sate her curiosity that she wouldn't find anyone along the beach resembling the Black Reaper. She turned around, wondering how far from the rest of the gang she had wandered, when a dark form seemed to materialize and head straight towards her. For a split second, she thought she was dreaming. The Black Reaper, here? But then she blinked and the illusion was gone. It was Hei, walking along the beach towards her with a friendly smile and a wave.

Her heart leapt into her throat and her face burned with shame, as if she had betrayed Hei again.

"Ah, lovely day out isn't it?" Hei asked as he finally reached her. His eyes were glowing as he looked at her kindly, bathed in the orange sunlight.

"Yeah," Misaki said. "It's almost so beautiful, it's unreal. I never take time off to go to a beach like this."

"Technically, we're on a recon mission," Hei teased.

"Ha! I guess you're right."

They looked at each other, silly smiles plastered on their faces, as Hei reached into his pocket.

"Oh, right. What did you have to get?" she asked.

"I…" Hei swallowed. "I heard it was your birthday, so I thought you might like something?"

He took out the little box and awkwardly put it in her hands. She opened it up and promptly snapped it shut again, as if it contained a poisonous snake that might bite her. "Hei, you really didn't need to do anything," Misaki said, feeling overwhelmed, "I don't even really celebrate my birthday anymore…I…this is too much. Take it back. It's too beautiful."

Hei took the box from her, opened it himself, and pulled out the ring. Despite her protests, she allowed him to slip it onto her finger. " _You're_ beautiful, Misaki."

"Oh…" Two pink dots stained her cheeks. "Thank you, Hei."

She looked out over the ocean's blue waters and grinned like an idiot. It didn't escape her notice that it was a small white stone, similar in color to the necklace that Hei wore close to his heart, though many times smaller. She found his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze in thank you as they both now gazed at the ocean.

Hei felt completely content in that moment. The sky, the ocean, and them…and then Yin's specter rose from the water. He had about two seconds to register that Yin was there, watching him, before an explosion rocked the beach.

"HELP! HELP!"

"FIRE ON THE BOAT!"

Screams saturated the air as beach goers scurried around like ants, fleeing the shore in their towels, and running in their sandals. A plume of smoke rose to the sky above a burning ship, and another ship seemed cut loose, slowly leaving the harbor in search of deeper waters…

Hei and Misaki turned to each other and then to their teammates who were fighting their way against traffic on the boardwalk. LN-952 had arrived a day early.


	16. The Shore, Part 4

**A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter and everything that is to come. 0.0**

**Happy reading, BT**

* * *

**Ch 16. The Shore, Part 4**

April and Mao had decided they would hang back on the boardwalk and keep Section 4 informed. It seemed like LN-952, a defector of the Syndicate, was making a break for it a day early, and the Syndicate didn't exactly tolerate traitors. November, Misaki, and Hei's goals were to capture Midas _alive_ so that he could be brought in for questioning. Perhaps his motivations for leaving would give the Syndicate insight into where other pockets of resistance existed and how best to terminate them. The other goal was, of course, to get the moonstone, even though Hei and Mao were the only ones on the team at present to even know what it did or what it looked like. That's why, as a precaution, the Syndicate had mailed them this morning a box of black pouches made of Gate material for the safe storage of moonstones. Every member, barring Mao, had one on them just in case the need arose, and they had brought them along today just to be careful.

"Make sure not to touch it and keep it in the pouch," November was saying to them as they sprinted, all three of them together, towards the boats. "Remember, it could be anything. A small grey rock, a shard, even a lens. They didn't exactly give me much to go on."

Hei knew that feeling all too well. _Find the gate artifact, Hei. You'll know it when you see it, Hei_. He was just thankful that the Syndicate's penchant for vague orders happened to work in his favor now.

"Are you even armed?" Misaki asked Hei as she took her gun from her holster.

"Yes!" Hei said, pulling his taser from his back pocket. He knew he must have looked like an idiot, waving around the little sparker, insisting he go running with the big players without a gun or his knives instead of waiting with April, but he knew he was more than capable of handling Midas alone.

"Alright," Misaki said. "We'll try to stick together then, all three of us."

"Sounds like a plan, Misaki," November said.

The team reached the harbor where the runaway ship was just about to take off, cutting its last rope loose. Luckily, it was only a short distance away and the three jumped onto the deck, where passengers who had signed up to go on a nice sunset cruise before dinner, were screaming bloody murder. It was difficult to pinpoint exactly which way Midas had gone because people were running in every direction, not just _away_ from the threat, and there seemed to be three levels to the boat too. The bottom was where cargo was stored, the middle (below deck) was where people could watch the view behind windows, and the top was the deck where people could enjoy the wind rushing through their hair and pretend to take pictures like in the movie, Titanic.

Hei noticed a glimmer on the other side of the deck, where the stairwell to the lower levels was located. Looking closer, he was able to discern a splash of gold against the wooden railing.

"He went below deck," Hei said. The three were just about to go down a level, when two bodies swung from a rope, breaking up their group. November ended up on the other side, nearest to the door. He looked worriedly over his shoulder before making the rational decision to go after their main target, Midas. They should have anticipated company, Misaki thought, and now they were split up. Hei watched November take the stairs two at a time before disappearing through the door. Selfishly perhaps, he worried what would happen if Midas gave up the moonstone before Hei could intervene…But he couldn't focus on that now.

"I _told_ you this boat was a bad idea, Azule!" the fat one hissed at the skinny one.

"That's only because you hate water, Grise!" the skinny one hissed back, "Unlike me!" Azule began to glow blue, making some people on board the ship dive overboard, unsure of what they saw but not wanting to be in the middle of it. Azule's eyes turned red as water rose from the sides of the boat like claws, before raining down on the deck.

"Ah, poohey!" Grise spat, his clothes soaked through.

Azule attempted to swirl Hei and Misaki away, like a water hand trying to pull their legs under, but Misaki was faster, jumping off the sides of the ship and attempting to get a good aim while mid-dance. Hei meanwhile was rolling, dodging, spinning, and trying to find a way to avoid zapping Misaki to death. In any other circumstance, fighting on a ship in water would have worked in Hei's favor, but not today.

Grise, unable to wait for Azule to catch them with his water hands, activated his own power. He erected a force field right in front of Misaki, causing her to slam her face into it, and her glasses to go flying off her nose. She picked them up, shoving them back on her face, but not before Azule managed to grab her by the leg with his water hand and throw her against the wall of the ship.

"Shit!" she muttered as the water whipped her around for another brutal impact.

While the two contractors were preoccupied, Hei rushed at Azule. The contractor was so light that Hei was able to lift him off the ground for a second and zap him while in midair. Azule abruptly lost control of his water hands as he was knocked out. Hei reminded himself that they wanted everyone brought in for questioning alive and pulled his punch without missing a beat.

Misaki, who had been falling through the air once the water hand dissolved, hadn't seen what Hei had done. She fell to the deck of the ship, hard, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her. She vaguely noticed that Azule had also fallen, but her mind was fully occupied by Grise who was now looking at Hei with fear in his eyes.

Grise gathered his power again, trapping Hei inside a force field net which he squeezed tighter and tighter. Hei's eyes bugged as he was rapidly losing oxygen. He could end it now, he thought. He just had to release his power and Grise, who was still sopping wet and in a puddle, would be out like a light. But then Misaki would be caught in his trap too. He would have to find a way out of this, and fast, but his breathing was becoming shallower, and the wind had become a deafening blow in his ears…

 _Bang!_ Misaki's bullet whistled through the air, lodging itself deep into Grise's arm.

"Argh!" Grise cried, clutching his bleeding appendage. He couldn't use his powers again until he paid his price, and now that Hei was free of his trap, it didn't seem worth it to continue to fight. Stupidly, he had thought Hei was _unable_ to use his powers while suffocating, which meant there was nothing to prevent Hei from turning him into singed toast at the moment. "I surrender!" Grise said, tossing his hands in the air. "I'll cooperate! Whatever you want!" He was still glancing at Hei worriedly every few seconds, very aware of how he was still drenched and in a puddle. He had _told_ Azule he didn't like the boat idea very much. But did anyone ever listen to him? _No_.

Misaki pulled handcuffs out of her purse and slapped them on Grise's wrists. Then she wordlessly jerked her head in Azule's direction.

"He's alive," Hei said, but didn't elaborate.

"Alright, hold him here while I go grab the other one." Misaki thrust Grise into Hei's arms as she went over to handcuff the knocked out Azule as well.

"You didn't kill him?" Grise asked lowly, so that only Hei could hear.

"They want answers," Hei said. "Dead men don't speak."

"Ah…" Grise nodded. "Then I should warn you then, that to get the right answers, you need to first ask the right questions. For instance, do dolls dream? Do contractors cry? Can—"

"What's he saying?" Misaki asked, a note of worry in her voice. She noticed the light blue glow around his body the same time that Hei did: asking questions was Grise's price. "Hei, watch out!"

In the blink of an eye, Grise had created a force field focused on his handcuffs, causing them to shatter to pieces. Then he leapt over the side of the ship and ran. Hei watched after him, a frown marring his face. His expression was dark and closed off and caused Misaki to shiver in spite of herself.

"Hei, are you alright?" she asked. "It's okay. It isn't the first time I've had a contractor slip away beneath my very nose."

She hauled Azule into a standing position, even though he was still unconscious. "At least we got one of them. And he's easier to carry too," she added with a smile.

Hei almost returned her smile when the door flew open from the lower deck, revealing November who was now slowly climbing up the stairs. He had been at an advantage, surrounded by water, and Midas was being dragged behind him in a big frozen ice cube, with only his eyes and nose exposed. November, it seemed, was taking no chances with his prisoner. Even if Midas managed to turn the ice cube he was currently in into gold, he would just be trapped in a block of gold instead, which wouldn't help him in the least.

November held up the small black pouch, the moonstone presumably sitting safely inside it and took in the destruction on the deck.

"Looks like you had better luck," Misaki said, looking at the ice cube. "One of ours just got away…and we had him handcuffed too."

"Well, we weren't expecting to run into anyone today," November said, "And what a day it has been!" He tucked the moonstone into his front pocket and gave Hei an unreadable look. "Come on, let's go meet Saitou to haul these two away."

Saitou had parked his police car right on the harbor dock and was standing outside of his car, looking up at the boat. Misaki lowered Azule to him and November none too gently kicked the ice cube containing Midas off the ship, thunking to the wooden docks.

"Huh," Saitou said, wiping his brow as he managed to pack the back of his police vehicle. "I wasn't expecting a call till tomorrow. Looks like you guys work well together…" His eyes landed on the ring that Misaki was wearing and he seemed to turn to ice himself. "Oh…" He jumped in the car, laughing awkwardly to himself. "Nice seeing you, Chief. Oh and happy birthday! Bye…November… _Li_." Then he slammed on the gas and sped off, leaving Misaki blinking in his wake.

"What was that about?" Misaki asked.

"He probably just saw your ring and got nervous," November answered smoothly. "Nice ring, by the way."

"Oh…" Misaki blushed all the way to the roots of her hair, fidgeting with the ring with her other hand. "I guess I hadn't realized…"

Hei stood there awkwardly, unable to make eye contact with either one of them. April and Mao were still some ways away on the boardwalk, talking with other more general police about the damage on the boat and which way they saw the suspect run—well, April was talking, not that she was giving anything away.

Then, Hei felt a heavy arm sling itself over his shoulders. His first instinct was to get away, perhaps electrocute his opponent and twist his arm around, but his logical brain told him that it was just November, not that that was any consolation at the moment as November nearly had him in a choke hold.

"I think we should perhaps take a break tonight…just the two of us," November said lowly. His tone was friendly enough, but his tightening grip around Hei's neck was anything but. "I think I might have _misjudged_ you earlier." He waited until Misaki had walked ahead of them, putting about twenty feet of distance between them and her. "How does unwinding in the hot tub sound?"

"The hot tub?" Hei asked, puzzled.

"Even ground," November explained. "I could freeze you, and you could…well, you know the rest."

Hei was silent for a long moment. It almost seemed like he wasn't going to answer when he said, almost inaudibly, "Fine."

November grinned. "Bring a towel."

* * *

**A/N: Oooh, so isn't this interesting? What WILL November do, I wonder? Hmmm...**

**Please review!**


	17. The Shore, Part 5

**A/N: I just finished rewatching ATLA. Ah, the nostalgia of childhood.**

* * *

**Ch 17. The Shore, Part 5**

"Misaki and I are going to have a girl's night," April grinned, taking Misaki into her lair, which was to say her bedroom. "Have fun in the hot tub, boys!"

"What?" Misaki asked as she was dragged into the other bedroom.

November smiled before looking at Hei's confused face. "I didn't think we would want to be interrupted," he said. Mao, who was lounging on the couch, looked between the two contractors and stretched.

"Should I be concerned?" he asked. Hei shook his head. "Fine, I'm going to Rika's. It's trash night and I'm not missing that for the world."

The three rode down the elevator together. November and Hei each had a towel tucked under their arms and flip-flops on their feet. When the door pinged open, Mao bolted out without even a backwards glance. He sure as hell wasn't going to get involved in whatever was going on at the _pool_.

"Come on, the pool's this way," November said, steering Hei down the hall. It was empty and a banner hung on the wall which read, _Happy Birthday!_ "I had to tell the staff here to close down the pool area for a private event," he explained. "Clever, isn't it?"

Hei wasn't in the mood for jokes and tiredly followed November to the hot tub. He was only planning to put his feet in if November insisted they orchestrate a stale mate, but November, it seemed, was more than comfortable stripping down to his swimming trunks and easing his way into the boiling water.

"Ahh!" November sighed contentedly, "Come on, get in."

Hei looked at the water doubtfully, but figured it was a safe enough situation. He took off his t-shirt and slid into the hot water slowly. He was hyperaware of the moonstone visible against his chest, but there was no point in hiding it any longer.

"You told April?" Hei asked without a hint of accusation, referring to how April had whisked Misaki out of the way as soon as they got back to the hotel.

November shrugged, putting his arms out on either side of him on the lip of the hot tub. "What's there to tell? She already suspected something since the very first night you two spent stargazing." He was taking up space, showing his dominance, while Hei was sitting straight, up and down, as serious and still as could be.

November reached over to his discarded shirt and pulled out a cigarette, then lit up quickly. He puffed a couple times, coughed, then threw it into a puddle where it singed out. He looked at Hei curiously, obviously wondering if Hei needed to pay his price, whatever it was. He suspected that it was eating seeing as the kitchen was always stocked and Hei's stomach was always growling. After all, if the Syndicate gave them complimentary cigarettes and a fridge stocked with beer, it would make sense they had also provided for Hei's payment too. Hei didn't give him an inch though, and continued to stare stonily at the blonde contractor, nothing like how he had been all week at all.

"Midas told me something rather interesting today," November began. "Any guesses as to what it could be?"

Hei didn't reply. His expression was closed off, cold, and November wondered if perhaps this were the real Hei, one who didn't stutter or laugh…or hesitate.

"Well," November continued, "I learned that the moonstone could hide a contractor's star. Such a small little white stone…much like one I had seen just days before. There's only one star I can think of that just happened to disappear in the past couple of days." His ice blue eyes flickered to the stone resting against Hei's chest, before meeting Hei's navy blue eyes head on. "If you were to take off your moonstone, Hei, what star do you think would appear?"

"What do you want?" Hei asked, cutting straight to the point. His voice was rough, dark, deadly. They had formed a tentative bond since the incident in Drayton's mansion, but Hei had no delusions about who or what November was. April had told him once how November had wanted to fight the Black Reaper for nothing other than fun. Was tonight the night he would have to fight for his life?

"I want the truth," November said. "Why would a contractor as infamous as BK-201 turn down a rational offer made by an old colleague, and jump in front of an untested weapon for an ally that he barely knew? Why would BK-201 form a relationship with the chief of Section 4 under an alias and continue to develop those feelings after being put on the same team? I can think of a few reasons, but I doubt you'll like them."

The bubbles of the hot tub were bubbling merrily from the jet streams and were the only sounds now in the room.

"We're on the same team now," Hei said tonelessly. "It wouldn't have been logical to have two members of my team without their powers."

"And yet you insist on carrying around your little taser instead of using _your_ powers to full capacity."

Hei frowned. It _had_ occurred to him that he was handicapping his team by not cooperating fully, but it hadn't seemed all that important when he thought about the alternative. "I didn't want Misaki to become…distracted if she learned the truth. I was on her most wanted list for months. It would have impacted our ability to work together." There, that was rational, Hei thought. It would have damaged group morale. Good answer.

"Speaking of you and Misaki together," November said testily, "I wonder what would happen if _I_ were to remove your moonstone?" The threat was clear, shining in November's eyes.

Acting at once, Hei's electricity flowed instinctively out of him, sparking on the water's surface as November plunged the hot tub half in ice. The two forces of nature met in the middle, sparking up steam and crackling to nothingness.

"That was a joke," November said, but his eyes were wide with awe. He had thought…but then, there had always been the chance that he was wrong. His pulsed picked up as adrenaline pumped through him. He had not been wrong. The proof was right in front of him, glowering down at him in his swim trunks.

November smiled slowly, like a child who had just received a new toy.

"Your jokes need work," Hei growled. "We're on the same team. What do you care what I do?"

"Because unlike everybody else in this play, Misaki is just a human. I need to know she'll be safe with you, Mr. BK-201."

"Misaki can handle herself," Hei snapped, indignant. "She doesn't need _you_ to look after her. She took Grise down when I wasn't able. Hell, being the youngest section chief in history _and_ of Section 4 should be a pretty big hint that Misaki doesn't need saving."

November watched as Hei broke out of his shell, becoming impassioned on Misaki's behalf. He was sure Hei didn't even realize that he was doing it. It was more emotion that contractors typically showed, which had led to his doubts in the first place early on in his investigations. But the moonstone was real, and the water was still singing with energy from Hei's outburst.

"You're right…" November agreed, melting the ice around him. They sat in silence for a few moments. Hei, breathing heavily, while November considered the man in front of him. "Let's say I choose to keep your little secret, BK-201, out of courtesy for when you saved me in the tunnels…can I trust that you'll tell Misaki who she's sleeping with?"

"We're not—" Hei sputtered, turning beet red despite himself.

"Are you going to tell her?" November pressed again, more serious this time. "Or shall I? It isn't fair to her…Hei." The use of the name _Hei_ , rather than _BK-201_ signaled that he was no longer a threat.

Hei sighed. "Give me one week," he said, as he made to get out of the hot tub. "I'll think of something."

"One week…" November repeated, watching Hei wrap the towel around himself and soundlessly slip from the pool room, like an assassin in the night.

.oOo.

_The Next Morning…_

"I don't understand how to use these blasted things!" Huang's voice came over the laptop speakers.

"Here, click this!" Shihoko said, her chin coming into frame.

"Shihoko!" Huang cried, wringing his hands. "Stop touching it! It's fine!"

The Syndicate thought that video calls made work more _personable,_ especially since he no longer had the time to come running down to bark orders at his team. Modern problems required modern solutions, or some other type of bull like that. And just when Huang thought the Syndicate could sink no lower, they added a fresh layer of corporate bullshit to his already muddled job description. He was now sent newsletters every day from Olympus Inc. with subject lines like SYNERGY! and COOPERATION MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND! He almost missed the days when Baseball Hat Guy would just pop up, dangle some information in front of him, and then scare him into toeing the line over a bottle of sake. _Almost_. All Huang knew was that he did NOT like this _ScreenMeet!_ service and he did NOT like his face on screen.

Shihoko polished the front facing camera with her shirt sleeve and adjusted the angle so that Hei, Misaki, November, and Mao were not looking up Huang's nose.

"There, Guss. See? No problem!"

"Alright, fine…thanks."

Huang was seated in his office where Hei could see a picture sitting on a shelf with Shihoko and Huang on it. They seemed to be happy together, though Hei was sure there was a backstory there that was as complicated as everyone else's.

Misaki, Hei, and November were seated on the couches in the common area. (April was still asleep as the events from yesterday had exhausted her.) The laptop was placed on the coffee table and Mao was sitting beside it. On the opposite wall, the morning weather presented by Ootsuka Mayu was playing on the television on mute.

"You got the item?" Huang asked after settling down. His impatient demeanor translated well to screen.

"Yes, I've got it right here," November said, holding up the little black pouch.

"Good. Now here's what's going to happen. I need you all back at the Institute tonight. We can begin testing and April's treatments as soon as we have April and the moonstone safely in our Med Ward. But not yet."

"Why not?" asked Misaki, a hard edge to her voice.

"Because there's one more of those pesky moonstones down the shore. Midas and Azule sang like birds. Midas says the one who got away, Grise, knew a contact down there who dealt in blood diamonds and other illegal gemstones. He says this contact is probably where they'll go next to try another escape route, and we have it on good authority that the moonstone is with the contact. That's not all, apparently another contractor who didn't take to the Syndicate's change in hands very well defected from MI6, codename March, and is planning on meeting Grise for this getaway, today."

"Do you know March?" Misaki asked, turning to November. She almost appreciated the way different agencies stuck with their own naming system.

"We're all family, after a fashion," November replied, thinking of March and her long brown hair. "Laser vision, if I remember correctly. Good at cutting things open with her eyes."

"Huang, did he say who the contact was at all?" Hei asked, already getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. As if in answer, the words _BREAKING NEWS: Shop Owner Held Hostage at Hitode Harbor_ flashed across the muted television.

"Rui Nakano," Huang said, "Hold on…" The phone in Huang's office rang. He picked it up. "What? They already made their move while my team is still shuffling around in their PJ's?"

"I think we'd better move," Mao grumbled, pointing his tail to the news. "Before Huang blows his top."

"You heard the cat! Get your asses down there pronto!" Huang barked, slamming down the phone and screaming into the laptop microphone.

Hei couldn't believe it. He had been in _Ocean's Treasure_ just yesterday and he hadn't even thought to look for a moonstone in the store. Mr. Nakano also didn't seem the kind who dealt with contractors and illegal organizations, but then again, neither did Hei.

November gave Hei a pointed look, one Misaki couldn't decipher. "Don't forget to bring you taser, Hei. We're up against both Grise and March, and I don't think this one will be easy, even for me."

"Hostage situations are never easy," Hei answered back, tightening his weapons harness, which currently held three kinds of daggers and the dinky little taser.

"April, we'll be back soon!" Misaki called.

"Y-yeah…" April moaned from the other room. "G'night."

Misaki grabbed Mao in her arms, figuring she could run faster than the cat could alone, and followed after November and Hei into the elevator.

* * *

**A/N: Please review!**


	18. The Shore, Part 6

**Ch 18. The Shore, Part 6**

Hei took in the scene at the boardwalk with experienced eyes. The glass entrance to the jewelry store was shattered on the ground and the alarm system was ringing in their ears, scaring off any curious onlookers so that the place was practically disserted.

The local beach police were ordered to stay back as Section 4 was on their way, and an annoying little drone flew overheard, capturing the scene for their news audiences. Hei judged that he could knock it out of the air with a well-aimed rock, but decided against it. It was unlikely that the drone would have a good shot of the inside of the store and he knew the Syndicate was powerful enough to take legal custody of the drone, for national security reasons, of course, after the fact. News outlets weren't going to risk live streaming a potential homicide or mass shooting, either, out of respect for the potential victims, so there was not a terribly large risk in letting it buzz overhead.

Misaki had her gun at the ready, having given Mao to Hei, while November gripped two ice cold bottles of beer he had taken from their fridge to serve as his weapons of attack. Misaki and November would take the front entrance, while Hei and Mao would enter through the back door.

Hei sent a slight jolt of electricity to the lock and was greeted with the sight of an office, freshly ransacked, with papers strewn everywhere.

"Where is it? Where is it?" Grise demanded, shaking Mr. Nakano by the shoulders, right against the wall separating the storefront from the back. "You said you had it, so where did you put it?"

March, a woman with a sharp chin and long brown hair, continued to scour the display cases, zapping the bullet-proof glass open with her eyes and reaching in, only to toss different pieces of jewelry to the side.

"I swear, I don't remember!" Mr. Nakano said. "I have so many stones! So many! I wouldn't even know where to look! Unblindfold me!"

"Stop lying!" Grise demanded.

"Freeze, hands in the air, police!" Misaki cried, figuring it was more or less true, and also worth a shot. Her gun was raised and her stance showed she was ready to spring into action.

"Oh, not you again!" Grise said. If that woman was here then that electric man wasn't far off…The Black Reaper was not the only one with the power to manipulate electricity, and BK-201's star had fallen, so Grise wasn't able to say for sure whether this electric man was really _the_ Reaper. That didn't stop him from getting nervous though, especially after he had learned what the moonstone Midas wore actually did.

"Again?" March asked, unimpressed. She looked up and caught sight of November, her body immediately tensing as she saw the familiar face. "So it's true," she drawled. "You're working with this new Syndicate now after Decade fell."

"As a matter of fact, I am," November replied silkily. His grip tightened on the two cans of beer in his hands, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by any of them in the room. "Now, unhand the gentleman and we can all go back to our daily routines."

"Hilarious," March spat, "We're not leaving here until he gives us what he's hiding!"

"You want a moonstone, do you?" November teased, holding up a black pouch. "I've got one right here."

Misaki gasped as November held up a black pouch over his head. Grise, not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, immediately abandoned Mr. Nakano, generating a force field to slam into November from the side. In the ensuing chaos, Hei managed to haul the shop owner into the back room, letting him fall face-forward on the ground, his hands still tied behind his back.

"Don't let him escape," Hei told the cat. Hostage or not, it seemed the jeweler had secrets of his own.

"I'm on it, Hei."

Hei peeked through the open door to look at the front of the shop then. November had already activated his powers and beer colored ice shards were lodged into the walls. Misaki was trying to shoot Grise, as he kept creating pockets of force that would slam into them at inopportune moments, but March kept getting in her way, once even managing to burn a hole through the strap of her shoes, singeing the top of her foot and making it hard to walk without tripping and her shoe flying off.

"Dammit!" Misaki groaned, before catching March staring at November. "Watch out!"

But November was already moving. He jumped over the display cases, missing the laser beam by a hair's breadth, and grabbed Grise by the arm before glowing blue. Unfortunately, Grise chose that moment to form a force field and slam it at November's body, sending him flying into the opposite wall.

November bit back a groan of pain. It felt like his skull had been split in two and his hair quickly became slick with blood, dripping unhelpfully into his eyes. His vision swam. _This was not good._

Grise picked up the black pouch which had landed on the ground and turned it inside out. "EMPTY!" he yelled angrily. He geared up for another attack, but before he could, Misaki shot him in the side, breaking his concentration.

"Grise!" March yelled, as her temporary ally howled with pain. Misaki raised her gun again, this time aiming for March. She didn't want to kill either one of them as they could be brought in for questioning, so she aimed her shots below the neck.

March had to think fast. She glared in Misaki's direction, hoping to scare her off with her red eyes. Misaki predictably dodged to the side, not wanting to be killed just yet, and March darted into the back room, slamming into Hei.

"Oh, hi there!" Hei smiled.

Grise's eyes widened as his fears were confirmed: the electric man was back again! Keeping pressure on his wound, his eyes glowed red and he concentrated on making another force field. March, whose back was turned to Grise, was unable to see this and was caught off guard when Hei dropped to the ground and shoved her into the path of the invisible force. March had been trying to claw at Hei to pull him along with her, but she only managed to hold onto something small and pod-like before it was thrown from her hand. She slammed against the wall _hard_ , a good ten feet from November, clutching her head with a scowl.

"Join the club," November moaned.

"Still not funny," she muttered back, leaning her head back against the wall. Urgh, it hurt like hell.

"Sorry," Grise said in a tiny voice. "Why did I do that? Why am I so stupid? Will Chinese electric batman hurt me again?"

"His price, Hei!" Misaki called. This was how it had ended yesterday, with Grise paying off his contract and getting back in the game. She wasn't going to allow him to refuel again today.

Faster than Misaki had ever seen him move, Hei was at Grise's back. He was so slim and Grise was so large that the soft white glow was hardly seen from the front, and March and November were too preoccupied to notice.

"Aaaah!" Grise screamed, and then slumped to the ground.

"We still need to get the moonstone," Misaki said. "Where's Mr. Nakano? Is he alright?"

"I'm here!" came a muffled voice from the back. Hei went into the back office and hauled the blindfolded shopkeeper to his feet. "Are you the police here to save me?" he asked hopefully.

"Depends on your definition of saving," Misaki answered back, tone sharp. "You're charged with gem smuggling and abetting contractors involved in terrorist activities. If you cooperate, we can think about the _possibility_ of a reduced sentence."

Mr. Nakano paled. "So you're after it too," he sighed. "Well, I don't have it. I'm done with that part of my life. I got rid of it yesterday."

"He's lying," March moaned from the ground. "He refuses to open his safe."

"I'm telling the truth! There's nothing in there!"

Misaki quirked an eyebrow. "What's the combination?" she demanded.

"No, I'm not telling! Your governments took everything from me! This is mine! It's all I have left of her! Lock me up! I don't care!"

"Well, that goes without question…Hei, what do you think we should do?" Misaki asked. She followed Hei's gaze to March who was wearing a sour expression on her face.

"March can shoot laser beams, can't she?" Hei asked. "Maybe she could help us break into the vault."

At her name, the contractor perked up, getting a crafty look on her face, before wincing in pain. "That's what we were going to do…before you guys came in."

"But can we trust her?" Hei asked, as if he were worried.

"I don't see why not," Misaki said, giving March an appraising look, "as long as she doesn't get any funny ideas about taking the moonstone and running with it."

"Oh! I would _never_!" March swooned.

Misaki pinched the bridge of her nose. If Mr. Nakano wasn't going to talk, there wasn't much she could do until a Syndicate approved locksmith arrived. "Fine. Help her up."

Misaki handcuffed Mr. Nakano, not trusting the crude tying job Grise had attempted, and had the older man sit in a chair with Mao guarding him. Without his sight, Mao's deep voice was enough to make him believe he was under close watch with no hope in hell of escaping.

Hei slowly approached the brown-haired contractor, helping her to her feet. Like November, it appeared as if she had also sustained head injuries and wasn't super steady on her own, not that that made her any less dangerous. Hei remained at her back and Misaki handcuffed her as well.

"It's under there," March said, nodding to a tapestry of a bowl of fruit. Misaki pulled the artwork out of the way to reveal a safe door. "Alright, give me a second. I'm almost out of juice before I have to make my payment."

Soon, the smell of burning metal filled the air as March lasered her way through the safe door. The front metal panel clanged to the ground, leaving only a cubby hole in the building wall. Inside was a single photograph of a young girl, around six or seven years old. She had gold eyes and short brown hair. Misaki took it and frowned.

"It's just a photo," Misaki said, disappointment evident in her voice. She flipped it over—nothing. But why would he be so upset over a photo?

"I told you!" Mr. Nakano cried. "It's the last thing I have to remember my daughter by before some government agency hauled her off…I only saw her one last time when she came to give me the moonstone, but it wasn't her! It was some monster in her skin! They think—they think that just because she's my daughter they can use _my shop_ as a storage cell and come and go as they please? I'm done, I told you! I'm sick of living like this all the time! I sold it! I sold it yesterday! Good riddance!"

November, from the ground, blinked through his hazy vision. He was barely conscious, having hit the wall harder than March had, but he felt compelled to stay awake for just a little while longer…

"What do you mean sold it yesterday?" Misaki snapped. "What was it? To whom?"

"It was to a young man…a ring, for a _friend_ …for her _birthday_ —" Mr. Nakano wheezed, managing to still sound condescending at the same time.

Misaki took a sharp intake of breath at the same time that March had glimpsed the ring on Misaki's finger. March's face warped, becoming something dangerous and frightening, as she lunged for Misaki's hand with her snapping jaws and laser eyes. Then, her throat opened in a silent shriek as her body convulsed. Her eyes went dead. Her body fell forward to the ground.

Believing March to simply be tasered, Misaki looked up at Hei with sparkling eyes. "It's the ring!" she said, relief flooding her voice. "All this time, we already had it! We did it, Hei!"

She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips, fueled by the happiness coursing through her. She felt as if she were on the precipice of a great change and that this were the last time she would ever experience a rush of happiness again…although she didn't know what the precipice was, or where it came from, or why her body quivered with fear as he held her.

She took a step forward, but the broken strap on her shoe was up to its new trick and her ankle twisted beneath her. Hei caught her as she fell to the ground, her hands gripping his arms as she looked beyond him. There, some feet away, sitting innocently on the floor, smashed in, was Hei's broken taser. It had come out of his harness when March had tried to grab him earlier, but no one had paid any attention then.

Hei couldn't see her face, but her hands tensed around his arms and he knew that something monumental had just occurred. "Hei…" Misaki asked slowly, rising to her feet. She swallowed. "Just how did you manage to take down Grise and March?"

"My taser," Hei replied automatically. He reached for his taser, usually strapped to his waist, but his hands closed around nothing…Nothing but air.

 _Shit_.

"You mean _that_ taser?" Misaki asked lightly, gesturing to the broken gadget on the floor. Her brown eyes, once soft, were as hard and as unflinching as steel. She studied him, at the defensive way he held himself, to the slight panic building in his eyes. Unconsciously, she looked to that part of his chest where she knew a little white stone was hanging, one that looked so much like the one on her ring, and understanding flooded her gaze. It was just two little words, but to Hei it sounded like a damnation. " _Try again._ "

* * *

**A/N: Wow! I hope that came out okay! I rewrote this many times because I wanted to get is just right. How was it? Please review!**

**Next up:**

**The Assassin (8 Parts): The team returns to The Alma Institute/Astronomics/Section 4.**


	19. The Assassin, Part 1

**A/N: I wrote this chapter AND I'm still squealing in my seat. Please Review!**

* * *

**Ch 19. The Assassin, Part 1**

"Misaki," November piped up softly from the floor, still in pain from earlier. He had noticed a little _something_ fly across the room when March had been slammed to the wall, but he hadn't thought it was Hei's taser. From their heart-to-heart in the hot tub, November knew that Hei intended to tell Misaki who he was within the week, and after Hei jumped in front of November in the tunnels, he owed it to him to try at least to make that confession less like an arrest situation. "Perhaps this can wait—"

Mao, who had leapt up onto the unbroken jewelry case, looked between Misaki, November, and Hei in surprise. November was covering for Hei? Why? It wasn't like Mao had never covered for Hei before, but that was because they were friends. He hadn't gotten the impression the other two had any sort of comradery when November all but dragged Hei to the pool area last night…

"Stay out of it, November," Misaki ordered, keeping her eyes trained on Hei. "You don't understand! This is—"

"BK-201," November finished.

Misaki whipped her head around to look at him. "You _knew?_ "

"Well, I wouldn't say that…"

Then her eyes found Mao.

"Hey, don't look at me," Mao said defensively, flattening himself against the glass.

"Misaki…" Hei began. This wasn't how he imagined it would go at all. He wanted to pull her to him, tell her that he hadn't _really_ meant to deceive her, at least, not anymore. But he knew that whatever words in that moment he hoped to conjure would fall short. She had every right to be angry.

" _Quiet_. I can't deal with this right now." Misaki shook her head, as if to shake her mind clear. "Let's get back to the room, and then you and I are going to have a little chat."

.oOo.

"How'd it go?" April called from the bedroom when the team returned.

Misaki marched Hei into the bedroom and slammed the door.

"That good, huh?" April asked dryly.

November approached her, letting Mao slide into the room before shutting the door behind them. The more doors he could put between them and Misaki, the better. "All I can say is that I don't envy the Black Reaper right now."

April's mouth formed a perfect O.

Meanwhile…

Misaki and Hei stood in their bedroom, facing each other. Misaki's eyes blazed with fire. Hei had no doubt in his mind that if she were a contractor with March's power, he'd be toast by now.

"I thought we were a team, Hei," were the first words out of her mouth. Her tone was perfectly measured, a balance between supreme disappointment and simmering fury. She looked down on him now with a look she usually reserved for Saitou or Kouno after a particularly bad assignment, her mouth set in a hard thin line. "I thought I could trust you…and all along, you were BK-201." She stood her ground, straight as an arrow, arms at her sides. "It has me wondering," she continued, "did Samuel Linton really have a heart attack when you were 'helping' him into the car? And what about that PANDORA guard you claimed to have tasered?"

"Are you going to arrest me then?" Hei challenged tonelessly. There was nothing to argue about. He _had_ murdered them, and many more besides. He swallowed down the pain he felt as he anticipated the loathing he knew would come. It hadn't come yet, but that was only because Misaki was still in shock. He could face her, face her accusations, he could face himself and all his crimes. He would bear whatever she deigned to throw at him just to look at her until the end, until she closed herself off from him and refused to look at him ever again.

Their eyes locked, brown on blue.

Then Misaki sank onto the edge of the bed, breaking eye contact first. Hei could sense the anger there still, mingled with betrayal, but mostly the overwhelming sadness.

"That would be pretty pointless, don't you think?" she sighed. They both worked for the Syndicate who owned the police, owned _her_. What was she going to do? Handcuff Hei and send him off to Huang or to his sister? No, the hurt she was feeling had nothing to do with her duty as a police chief. This hurt was personal and cut her to the quick. "I just don't understand, Hei…You had the time to tell us who you really were and you chose not to. What did you think you would gain from that?"

She was hunched over, elbow on her knee, chin in her hand, at a loss. Hei was at a loss too. It wasn't that he had hoped to gain something from the deception. He had wanted to _protect_ something from the deception. Maybe, selfishly, he had wanted to protect his own heart.

" _You_."

"Oh, I _see_ ," she said bitterly, even as her heart skipped a beat. She thought back to when she had first introduced herself to Li Shengshun in apartment 201…after Chiaki Shinoda had been murdered. She leaned forward so that her face was hidden in the shadow of her hair. "Were you on assignment back then too, trying to get close to me when you were pretending to be Li? You knew exactly who I was and what I did. Not that I was that good at it…apparently."

Hei shook his head firmly. "No, it just...sort of happened." Hei stuffed his hands in his pockets, wondering if he dared to sit next to her on the bed, or if he'd ever be allowed near it again. Somehow, he had to get Misaki to see that for all the smoke and mirrors in his life, there had been something true between them, even then. "Back then, I was so full of anger. My sister, Bai, had been missing ever since Heaven's War and the Syndicate had just assigned me to Tokyo. You were the only thing that I knew that was good and real. You helped people because that was what was in your heart. You even thought you could save Alice, even when she was beyond any help. I…I admired that. And then, a few weeks later, my sister returned right out of the blue. My anger just evaporated. It didn't have a place anymore because Bai was suddenly back, but instead of feeling fulfilled, I just felt _numb_. No sooner had she returned than I was swept up by the Syndicate once again…but this time, I was working with you. I didn't want to lose that, lose you. Misaki, believe me. I was going to tell you…"

"When?"

Sometime this week. Maybe over dinner. Maybe after Mao let something slip…"I don't know," he whispered. "Sometime soon…"

Misaki shut her eyes and sighed; then she reached for her birthday ring and slid it slowly off her finger. Hei looked at it sadly, the little moonstone, no bigger than a grain of rice, shining in the dim room light. Was this to be his answer then? He felt his heart sink, as if he could see the value of everything he could have had vanish before him.

She glanced up at Hei, sensing a change in his posture, and was startled to see the depth of emotion in his dark blue eyes. "It's the moonstone, isn't it? I can't just keep it."

"…Oh."

His face was so open and lost. So much like _Li_. Misaki took pity on him. "Come on." She patted the space next to her on the bed in invitation. Hei sat down obediently, cautiously.

"We'll work through this," she said softly. "I have to realize that the Syndicate put us _both_ in uncomfortable positions. Me, a cop, working with their prized assassin. And you…You've been undercover for a while now. They can't just expect you to start trusting a new team right away. Even November introduced himself as Jack Simon, and I wasn't even hunting him down…Honestly, something like this was bound to happen with all the aliases they make you use."

Hei opened and closed his mouth several times in complete shock. It almost sounded like she still wanted this…wanted _him_. "You...you actually—?"

"Surprised I'm not going to kill you for keeping secrets? If I did that, I'd have to kill November, April, and Mao for the same crime and then where would I be?" And wasn't that just incredibly ironic, that everyone seemed to know before her? So wrapped up in the Black Reaper and Hei, she hadn't even noticed they were the same…or maybe, subconsciously, she had. Misaki took in a long, deep breath, staring at the way their hands were almost touching on the bed."When your star disappeared, it felt like I had lost a friend. To tell you the truth, I never really got over it. I'm not going to let go of you that easily."

In that moment, nothing existed for except for Misaki. Everything about her, down to the way the sun streamed in from the window and cast her body in lights and darks, was divine. "Thank you…Misaki." And every inch of him, every _cell_ , exhaled with gratitude. _I love you,_ he thought, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. _I love you._

"There's nothing to thank." She gestured easily to the wall between the two bedrooms. "I bet the others are wondering if I've killed you by now."

Hei laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, we better go out and let them know I'm alright." He got up from the bed, when her hand reached up and caught him around the arm.

"Huh?" His heart fluttered in panic. Had she changed her mind?

"No more secrets, okay?"

Hei nodded, relieved. "Promise."

.oOo.

_Location: The Alma Institute for Doll Rehabilitation, 5pm_

"Another one?" Kanami asked, eyebrows hitting the ceiling as Ootsuka and another worker brought a doll in on a stretcher.

"Same condition too," Ootsuka said. "She's completely unresponsive."

Another coma victim. "Alright, bring her around here to bed five."

Kanami watched as Ootsuka and a worker brought the doll around. The doll had a very short layer of hair, which was how they knew even before looking it up, that this was one of their own, having kept their dolls bald in the tanks. The dolls rescued from Drayton's mansion all had a little more hair, but not much.

"Was she using her specter at the time of collapse?"

"I'm not sure, but it's likely." The worker bit her lip. "There was a socket on the wall near her, but I can't say for sure."

The infirmary was already a quarter full. Five beds now contained dolls in comas and no one in Astronomics knew what to do. So far, all the dolls had been those newly freed from the tanks in Astronomics. Was there maybe something they didn't know about transitioning the media out of tank-life? Were they moving too fast?

A knock on the door brought their attention to the present. A young woman with lavender hair wrapped in a bun swiped her ID card at the door and entered.

"Amethyst," Ootsuka greeted. "Any news?"

Amethyst, a dour expression on her face, nodded. "Alma says she's moving her monthly meeting with Stargazer up to this week. Maybe the two will have something insightful to say about this situation, but…"

"What is it?" Kanami asked, before taking a deep breath. She didn't know why, but she always seemed to lose her patience with the lavender-haired woman. She knew that Amethyst was only trying to help and that the Syndicate had assigned her to the Alma Institute to lend her expertise in programming to their rehabilitation efforts, but the girl always just seemed so _unlikeable_. Slimy, almost. She might have stabbed Hourai on orders from Bai, whom Kanami didn't really mind, but it didn't change the fact Amethyst was the one who still murdered him in broad daylight.

"Well, it's nothing…" Amethyst said.

"No, go on, what is it?"

"I'm just wondering if the doll programming software that _they_ retrieved was incomplete somehow. I mean, it's from PANDORA. Wouldn't they have put measures in place to prevent their code from being stolen?"

"So what do you think we should do?" Ootsuka asked. "We all looked over the code ourselves and nothing seemed amiss."

"I…" Amethyst looked to the dolls on the beds. "I could contact Mr. Nishijima tonight and ask him if he could lend his doll expert to us for a second opinion."

"Doll expert?" Kanami asked sharply. "I've never heard about them."

"Well, _you_ wouldn't," Amethyst said with a sniff. "She works in Building 3… _classified_. Her name's Mina Kandaswamy and she specializes in doll anomalies."

"Sure, give them a call," Kanami sighed.

They watched the lavender-haired woman leave the room before turning to each other. They had looked into whether these incidents coincided with contractor activity, but no single contractor seemed to be active on the days of the dolls' collapses. Contractors who were active also didn't seem to have powers associated with sleep or comas… Kanami hated to think it, but it sounded like something or someone was picking off their dolls one by one. The question was, _why?_

"Huang just texted and said they would be arriving soon…" Ootsuka said. "I can grab Carmine now if you want, so you don't have to stick around. Maybe when you and the chief are at dinner, you can ask her about this?"

"Yeah…" Kanami looked down at her phone, where their text message conversation seemed emblazoned on the screen.

_Yesterday:_

_K: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISAKI!_

_M: Thanks, Kanami. But it will have to wait until we get back tomorrow._

_K: That's fine. I found a great soba place…Are you bringing Li? I heard he likes soba._

_K: *I meant Hei._

_M: He eats anything. And no._

_Today:_

_M: Huang wants to see us. I'll be able to come in an hour or two._

_K: Alright. Don't forget dinner tonight._

_M: Right._

_K: Are you sure you won't bring Hei?_

_M: I'd rather it just be the two of us. I need to talk to you about something._


	20. The Assassin, Part 2

**A/N: Take note of the times. The first scene in ch 20 and the last scene in ch 19 end at the same time.**

* * *

**Ch 20. The Assassin, Part 2**

_Location: Police Headquarters, 4pm_

Hei, Misaki, and Mao entered Director Huang's office first, followed by November who was pushing April in her wheelchair.

"About time you freaks showed up," Huang grunted. "What took you so long?"

He had redecorated his office so that all his chairs were in a circle. Shihoko had said it helped build teamwork or harmony or peace…or something. Now, Huang sat in one chair and Bai sat next to him in another.

"A little less of the freak language, if you please," Misaki said. "Contractors are people too."

"Speak for yourself," Mao muttered.

"People or not, you're still late!"

"It's alright, Huang," Bai said, gesturing for everyone to take a seat. "Brother, come sit by me."

Hei sat next to her, Misaki beside him, Mao on the next chair, then April's wheelchair, then November beside Huang…in a circle of harmony and peace.

"You have the moonstones?" Bai asked them.

"Yes, I've got one right here," November said smoothly, passing over the small, black pouch.

"And mine," Misaki added, handing Hei the ring to pass to his sister.

"It wasn't too hard, I hope?" Bai asked with a smile.

November laughed it off, even though he had a giant bruise on his forehead. "Not at all. I just have one question."

"And what would that be, November?"

"Well, if getting moonstones is so important, then why don't you collect the one your brother owns?"

Bai turned to Hei, her eyebrows raised. "You told them?"

"We figured it out," April said smugly.

"Oh, so you didn't tell them…" Bai said thoughtfully. "And here I was, hoping my brother had some character development in the trust department."

" _Bai_ …" Hei warned, his cheeks tinging pink.

"Right, so why haven't I collected his?" Bai repeated, snapping back into professional mode. "Because Madam Stargazer told us not to."

"Madam Stargazer?" November asked.

"Oh, she's the doll who precedes all the other dolls and watches over everything in Astronomics. We've learned from history to listen closely to her and do what she says. You'll probably meet her later today at the Institute," Bai said. "July and Yin have taken a liking to her."

"Alright…" November said. Taking orders from a doll. Who knew?

"Thank you for understanding," Bai said. "As for April's treatment, we believe that Carmine is able to help us. As you may know, Carmine is a regressor. She seems highly sensitive to the gate and will likely have an affinity for the moonstones and how they work. It'll be a work in progress, but we hope to see some real improvement soon."

"Sounds great," April said with a broad smile. She wondered absently if Carmine ever knew her team was once ordered to capture her and hoped that she didn't. Otherwise, the next few weeks (or months) would be pretty awkward.

"What about the other moonstones?" Misaki asked politely. "November and Mao told us your end goal was to bring the moon back and protect the gates. If there are seven, that's four more to go."

"We're trying to track down the other four, but we've hit a snag with our surveillance system," Huang said.

"What do you mean?" Misaki asked sharply.

Huang looked to Bai, wondering if he should tell them or not.

"What is it?" Hei asked, sensing something was off.

"You'll find out soon enough," Huang said. "I don't understand it as well as those scientists down at Astronomics do, but our dolls keep falling into comas."

"Comas?" Misaki asked shrewdly.

"Yes, it appears that someone or something keeps attacking our dolls." Bai shrugged her shoulders. "They're trying their best to locate the other moonstones, but it seems that each time one of them comes close, they fall asleep."

It sounded like a contractor to Hei, but he was confident his sister and Huang, not to mention all of Astronomics, would have checked for that by now. It was possible they were being targeted in other ways, maybe tranquilizers from a dart or even something in their food.

"So until we get this straightened out, you guys are on a break," Bai said. "We expect to have it sorted out soon though. It would help if Section 4 were on the case full time, but sadly, we've just got too much work for everyone. In the meantime…Hei? Misaki?"

"Huh?" Hei asked, tensing at the sound of Misaki's name.

"Atlas and I were wondering…would you like to join us for dinner?"

"Tonight?" Misaki asked, panicked. "I'm sorry, but I already made plans."

"You did?" Hei turned to her, unsure why he was feeling so left out.

"Yeah, with Kanami, for my birthday," Misaki explained, feeling a little sheepish. Should she have told Hei earlier? It wasn't like he was her keeper or anything, but it wasn't like she had been _trying_ to keep it a secret either. "I'm sorry, Bai."

"It's not a problem," Bai said, waving her off. "How about tomorrow night, then? It'll be our first family dinner together, since the wedding didn't really count."

"Sure…" Misaki said cautiously. "Um, Hei?"

But Hei was looking at his sister with a frown. "How did you know to invite Misaki?" he asked.

"Because you gave her this ring," Bai answered simply, holding it up.

"You _what_?" Huang yelled, getting the wrong idea.

"No, no, it was for my birthday! We didn't even know it was the moonstone!" Misaki protested, beet red. November and April smirked to themselves, finding this all very amusing.

"So you've been spying on me?" Hei asked, annoyed. If anyone should be allowed to have trust issues, it should be him.

"Brother," Bai said with an easy smile. "You forget that I've been a part of you for so long, living in your skin, looking out of your eyes. Old habits die hard and Yin offered so…"

"… _what?_ " Mao asked, speaking for everybody.

"It's a long story," Hei said, putting his face in his hands. He had managed to forget about the fact Bai must have seen and experienced everything he had during those years he had thought he lost her. _Everything_.

"So really, you two _must_ come to dinner," Bai continued charmingly. "I'll catch you up on the whole thing since my brother, here, can't even tell you his identity in a week. At this rate, I expect he'll tell you all about _our_ star before New Year's."

"Hei?" Misaki asked again, nudging him with her elbow. This dinner started to sound like fun.

"Alright," Hei relented. Part of him wanted to be a family again, sit down with Bai at the table like old times…the other part of him was mortified that Misaki would learn too much and run for the hills.

"Yes!" Bai smiled triumphantly.

It was more emotion that November had ever seen Bai have and it made him wonder about the mysteries of the two. What a weird brother-sister duo. First he had thought Hei was a contractor, then Bai, and now, he didn't know what to make of the whole _body sharing_ thing. November shivered. This was getting stranger by the second.

"So that concludes the meeting," Huang said heavily. "And just when I thought I understood you, fr- _people_." He shook his head. "Keep your eyes and ears peeled and I'll let you know when we've got a lead on the doll situation. Alright?"

"Sounds good to me," April yawned. "We could all use a little break."

.oOo.

Misaki drove her team down to the National Observatory in the Syndicate-provided car. She knew the route by heart and it felt odd that she was now driving BK-201, November 11, and April to the place her best friend worked.

"It'll be nice to see July again," November remarked as he stared out the window. "I wonder what they've all been up to."

"Yeah, it's strange working without a doll on the team," April added. She gave Hei a playful look. " _Three_ contractors and a human…"

Hei stiffened. He wasn't sure if he completely agreed with being labeled as a contractor, but it was close enough. He glanced at Misaki, thinking about how and when he could possibly explain that nuance to her before Bai got the chance to expose him tomorrow. Instead of getting into it now though he said, "The combination has worked before."

"Really, when?" November asked politely, "I thought when you worked for the Syndicate it was Mao, Yin, and Huang?"

"It was before us," Mao said with a smirk, giving a lick to his leg. "Hei was already a hardened criminal by the time we met him."

" _Mao_ …" Hei warned. What was it with everyone's desire to unmask him today?

"No, it's alright," Misaki said. "I won't get spooked. You worked with Carmine and your sister before, right? Well, Carmine and you…so who was the third contractor? Your sister or someone else?"

 _It was Carmine, Amber, and Bai_. _I wasn't even a contractor then._ "Actually," Hei said with his Li sheepishness, "It's a little more complicated than that…"

Misaki put the car in park. They had arrived. Misaki shot Hei a look: _Don't think you're off the hook. We'll be talking about this later._ Hei gave another grin in response. No doubt Misaki was already mauling over what facts she knew about Hei, Bai, contractors, and the potential of body sharing. Oh to be a fly on that wall, Mao thought, when they had their family dinner…

"Misaki, I trust you'll tell us all the details of this little family dinner of yours? I'll be bored out of my mind in the med ward otherwise," April moaned dramatically.

"I'll see what I can do."

Mayu Ootsuka and Carmine came rushing out of the building in their white lab coats when they were told the group had arrived. April looked out the window and saw July on the other side of the glass door, hand on the glass, looking out. His specter appeared on the windshield, right in front of Hei.

"I never received such a hero's welcome before," April laughed, fanning herself. "Alright, November, you've got to help me out of this car."

"Coming!" November said, attentive as ever.

Misaki watched as another shape moved to stand next to July. It was the silver-haired girl she knew as Yin.

"I bet you have a lot of catching up to do," Misaki commented knowingly, not missing the way Hei seemed to light up at the sight of the doll.

"You, as well," Hei replied, thinking of Kanami and how he wasn't told about their plans together. He looked down at his hands. "You'll return to the hotel tonight, right?" He hadn't meant to sound so…needy, but it just slipped out. He wanted to know. He wanted her there.

That's right…Misaki could just stay in her apartment from now on while on this short work break. But would she? Hei, on the other hand, had nowhere else to go, barring his off-the-grid safe house. And Mao? He could just hang out with Yin as he had before he was drafted in as April's replacement.

"I…" Misaki considered her options. Would November return to the suite if he had the option to stay with April? Not likely. She licked her lips. What would it be like to spend the night _alone_ with Hei?

"Misaki!" Kanami screamed, running down to the parking lot, passing November, April, Carmine, and Ootsuka on their way up. She stopped outside of Misaki's door, taking a deep breath in. "Hello Hei, Mao! Ready to go, Misaki?…Unless you've changed your m—?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Misaki cut her off, two pink spots appearing on her cheeks, before Kanami said anything embarrassing in front of Hei. She was about to get out of the car, but then stopped, and reached over to take Hei's hand in hers. To his surprise, she gave it a light squeeze. "I'll be back at the suite tonight." She said, her eyes twinkling. Then, Misaki got out of the car and followed Kanami to hers, leaving Hei grinning to himself like an idiot.

"She seems to have taken the news you're the Black Reaper pretty well," Mao commented mildly when they were alone in the car. "I thought for sure you weren't going to make it out of that bedroom alive today."

Hei opened the door, getting out of the car. Mao jumped into the front seat and then jumped out of the car as well. They could see Yin waiting for them at the door. It felt to Hei, like a homecoming of sorts. The gang was mostly back together.

"Neither did I," Hei replied.

"I guess it's true what they say then: Love is blind."

Hei almost accidently stepped on Mao's tail. "Who are you trying to insult with that statement, Mao?"

Mao dodged out of the way and shot Hei a nasty look. "Look, I'm happy for you, Hei. I really am. I hope this works out. I was only saying that she liked the Reaper without knowing what he looked like, and she liked you without knowing you were the Reaper. If that's not an experiment in true love, I don't know what is…Suffice it to say, I won't be going back to the apartment tonight."

"We're not going to do anything, Mao…"

"Sure, sure…"

.oOo.

It almost felt like old times again, Hei thought, as he sat in the atrium on a bench, Yin and Mao beside him. Ordinarily, he would have tried harder to pretend he wasn't talking with them, maybe look off in the distance or keep his head down while Mao lounged with his eyes shut on the slide. Now though, they could talk to each other without fear of being seen. It didn't stop Hei from scanning the room for enemies though. If someone was hurting dolls, it was likely an inside job.

Why hadn't Bai asked him to help? he wondered. Was it all part of keeping the Black Reaper hidden? But then what about Misaki or November? They were both able-bodied people who could lend their brains to the mission. He tried not to take it personally. The Syndicate was vast. They probably had a team on the case already. Things like this probably happened in the past, with different Syndicate teams taking care of problems Hei was never even told existed. Now that his sister was in charge, he had difficulty separating out Bai's problems from the organization's problems. He would help his sister in a heartbeat, but he was only a single cog in the machine that was the Syndicate.

"Yin?" Hei questioned when she tugged on his shirt, breaking his concentration.

"I like your new wardrobe," she said with a soft smile. "November has a good eye."

"Eh?" Mao asked. "Since when did you go shopping with pretty boy?"

"Before Drayton's mansion," Hei said. "Right after I had just talked with you at the noodle house."

"I remember that," Mao said fondly.

Hei turned back to the doll, another thought entering his mind. "You're been talking with my sister, lately?"

Yin nodded. "We were worried about you, Hei. I missed you."

While Hei wanted to be angry that Yin and Bai had conspired against him, in some sort of evil sisterly plot, he couldn't help but feel a little, no, a lot touched. "I missed you too…"

Yin made a fist in her lap as she looked towards the med ward. "I'm worried, Hei. They don't know what's causing it."

"It could be another specter-capturing contractor."

"I don't know. Maybe…Hei?"

"Yes?"

"What causes the white glow?"

Hei turned sharply to her. "What do you mean?"

"When you use your powers, Hei. You glow…like moonlight."

"It's this," Hei said, taking her hand and placing it over his moonstone. She nodded that she understood. "You knew I wore it…They didn't tell you what it did?"

Yin hesitated. "I just wanted to be sure."

"Why?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "Is it always white?"

"Yes," Hei said.

"Do you know something, Yin?" Mao asked. "I'm getting a funny feeling about this."

Yin shook her head. She had no evidence. "No."

Hei gazed around the room. The observatory was still intact, but there were no longer doll tanks in the room. There was also a new hallway off to the side which led into the Alma Institute section. He watched as Stargazer spoke with a lavender-haired girl by the computers. Yin followed his gaze.

"Who is the woman talking with Stargazer?" Hei asked.

"That's Amethyst. She's in charge of the activity schedule for the dolls. Break time, play time, outdoor time…"

That sounded normal enough. "Do you like her?" Hei asked, trying to get a feel for the unfamiliar faces. Technically, everyone who worked in the police was an unfamiliar face, except for those who were once after him (like most of Section 4).

Yin tilted her head to the side. "I haven't spoken with her much…she speaks with Mauve."

"The cat girl?" Mao asked. "She hasn't stopped trying to meow at me since she got here!"

"Mauve speaks with her..." Yin repeated.

"What do they speak about?" Hei asked, getting the feeling that he was now thinking along the same lines as Yin was thinking.

"I don't know. July and I have been watching over your team."

They could see through the glass that July was speaking with April and November. Carmine, dressed in a white lab coat, seemed oddly fitting as she helped Ootsuka outline the treatment plan. Hei couldn't help but think that in another life, Carmine would have been a doctor from the start, helping people to heal instead of drinking children's blood. But then, what if the gates had never appeared? November, April, and July—their own little family—might never have met each other, and that was sad in its own way.

"Yin? Mao?"

"Huh?" Mao asked, right before Yin's soft, "Yes, Hei?"

"Thank you for being my friends."

* * *

**A/N: Please review! Hmm, I wonder what Misaki will tell Kanami...**


	21. The Assassin, Part 3

**A/N: I was attending a chem class and guess what they talked about...synchrotron radiation! It's apparently a real thing, haha! Wow, didn't know that.**

* * *

**Ch 21. The Assassin, Part 3**

Misaki followed Kanami to her car, staunchly ignoring the smugness radiating off of her friend, no doubt due to having witnessed Misaki voluntarily touch a man's hand.

"What was _that_ about?" Kanami asked slyly, as the two women buckled themselves into the car.

"What do you mean?" Misaki asked innocently. Too innocently.

"You know…you and Hei. You were only gone, what was it? A week? And already you two are holding hands."

"It's not like that," Misaki protested, a light blush staining her cheeks. "I mean, we just started to think about it…"

"Oh yeah? Want me to tell you what it looked like to me? And what was that Saitou was telling me the other day about you wearing a ring?" Kanami gave her a sidelong glance, nearly driving through a red light before slamming on her brakes. " _Whoops_!"

"Maybe you should just keep your eyes on the road. How far away from the restaurant are we anyway?"

"Not far. See? It's the one on the left. You'll love it, trust me…and happy belated birthday, again."

Misaki could make out the sign on the side of the road. "Thanks."

The soba restaurant was medium-sized, decorated with dark wood and golden accents. Soft piano music played in the background and there was enough chatter to create a sense of privacy for their conversation. The two were seated at a booth in the back, high walls separating one booth from the next. After ordering, Misaki leaned across the table, her chin resting on her hand.

"So how are you holding up? I heard you've had a case of dolls mysteriously falling into comas."

Kanami sighed. "Well, yeah. I was going to ask you your opinion on it actually." She poured herself some tea and filled Misaki's teacup as well. "We just got our fifth case right before you guys came. All the dolls so far use electricity and all came from our tanks, not from Alma's sources or from Drayton's place."

"And you've cross-checked the times with star activity, I'm sure…" Misaki frowned. She held the warm cup in her hand, the pleasant smell of jasmine carried with the steam. "So what do you think is causing it? Is it a kind of doll illness or a targeted attack?"

"Personally, it feels more like a predator is picking off our dolls one by one. It's too much of a coincidence that they're searching for those moonstones and then suddenly fall to the ground unconscious."

"I see…and you've already looked at contractors whose abilities would be relevant: sleep, hypnosis, specter capture, that sort of thing?"

"Well—"

The waitress was back with two boiling hot bowls of soba. "Enjoy! Can I get you two ladies anything else this evening?"

"No, that's it," Kanami said with a forced smile.

"Alright!"

They waited for her to leave.

"You were saying?" Misaki asked lowly.

"I was just thinking that I was getting a weird feeling from one of the contractors who work with us now. But her power is listed as super speed, not anything related to sleep."

Misaki's arm twitched involuntarily, the one with the band-aid on it. It was still possible that the dolls were being drugged if someone was fast enough to not get caught. Especially since dolls were pretty slow moving.

"Who is it?"

"Her name's Amethyst. She's the one who took out Hourai earlier."

"What's she doing? Has she made any comments about not liking dolls? Or disliking the New Syndicate?"

"No, forget I said anything. It's probably just me being paranoid. I…I just can't get that image of her stabbing Hourai out of my head. I know she was on a mission and that it wasn't really her fault, per se, but I just get scared she'll go psycho on me and stab me too, one of these days."

Misaki swallowed. "Do you feel the same way about November? Or April? Or Mao?"

_Or Hei?_

"I don't know them as well, so no…but to be fair, I haven't seen them in action either. Look, I'm really trying not to paint all contractors with the same brush here. I work with Carmine and she's fine, and I heard what _she_ used to do before she lost her powers. Misaki, are you alright? You look sort of ill?"

"It's—It's nothing." Could Misaki really tell her about Hei being BK-201 so soon? If Kanami had a problem with a single stabbing, what would she think about multiple assassinations? It would help her to confide in someone, but even if she did, how much could she really reveal? Had Huang even told Kanami what the moonstones did? She doubted it. Huang sure hadn't told her or the rest of Hei's team, and they were the ones working with him.

"Misaki, seriously, you can tell me." Kanami was getting worried now, having only seen that look on Misaki's face a handful of times before. The police chief was staring down at her food, playing with her noodles on her chopsticks. "Is this what you meant before about needing to talk to me about something big? What is it? You know you can tell me anything."

"It's about Hei," Misaki finally said.

"Yeah? I figured. So what about him?"

"I'm going out to dinner with him, Bai, and Atlas tomorrow."

"Sounds serious. Go on."

"Well, it's going to be weird. I hardly know Hei that well and I feel like I'm meeting his family too soon. I mean, what does one even do with the leaders of the Syndicate?"

"Not get on their bad side," Kanami quipped. She took a sip of her tea, looking thoughtfully at Misaki. "You know, years ago, even before Atlas rose to power by taking out all those other board members—not to mention his own father—they had his older brother killed."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"Yeah, I was reading through all the files Huang gave us to learn about the New Syndicate, in light of it operating out of the shadows and all. Apparently, they value _transparency_ in their top secret organization…and do you know what I found?"

"What?"

"BK-201 was sent to murder the brother," Kanami said in a hushed voice.

Misaki's chopsticks dropped from her hand. " _What_?"

"Yeah, I thought you might appreciate that. I was surprised too. I thought I'd never see that messier code again, but there it was on the paper. So, just be careful, okay? Bai's been more than pleasant, and the few times I've spoken with Atlas he seemed sensible enough, but they still are who they are. I wouldn't forget that."

"Kanami, tell me…" Misaki looked inconspicuously around the restaurant, but everyone seemed to be deep in conversation and not paying the least bit attention to them. Was she really going to say it? It wasn't like she could shove it back in her mouth after she said it…like breathing life into it. It would become real and it would become more real the more people who knew. But Bai knew and Huang knew, and Atlas had to know, and Mao knew, and April and November knew, and Yin knew. _It_ wasn't totally a complete secret, but then, how was she supposed to start it?

 _Li is…well, you see…Hei is…_ "What would you say if I told you that I…kissed the Black Reaper?

Kanami blinked at her, unfazed. "You mean in your dreams? I knew _that_."

Misaki shook her head.

"Well, he's dead, so I can't imagine—you mean, before his star blipped off the radar?" Kanami asked, confused. Was Misaki worried that Hei and his family would find out she had a thing for BK-201 and reject her?

"No, after."

"That's not possible, Misaki—"

"It is if you have an anti-contractor device…." _and it is if you have a moonstone._ But Misaki wasn't sure she could say that now until someone gave her permission. She didn't want to end up on the Syndicate's bad side, after all.

"BK-201 without his powers, imagine! And you kissed him! But then, who—?" Kanami's eyes widened as the only logical person came to mind. She leaned across the table, her palms flat on the surface. "You know what you're saying, Misaki? You're saying that Hei, that the guy you told me was _Li,_ is—"

"Yes. I am."

Kanami sat back down. "Wow…Misaki, I don't know what to say. That's—that's incredible." She was happy for her friend, she really was. Even seeing their hands clasped together gave her a slight thrill. Still though…It was one thing to lust after a supposedly dead contractor, quite another to start a relationship with one. Kanami sat back down, a pensive expression on her face. "I don't want to sound like a stick in the mud, but have you really thought this through?"

Misaki gave her a slight smile. "Honestly? No."

Kanami fixed her with a pointed stare. "He hasn't tried to hurt you or anything, right?"

"It is still Hei we're talking about."

"Yes, but...he's BK-201. Misaki, I know you were really torn up about him when his star fell, and I know you thought he had some redeeming qualities about him even then, but that doesn't erase everything he's ever done. In just this city alone, he must have killed a dozen people. I know your team has even hunted him down on several occasions and found his _victims_ after the fact."

"I know what you mean, but he's still Hei at heart. He had my back in Drayton's mansion and killed the guy for me after I'd been drugged." Misaki pushed her sleeve up to reveal the band-aid covering the injection point. Kanami's face softened in concern. "My inhibitions were lowered the rest of the night and I kissed him first, but he was so concerned about my…honor, I guess, that he stopped it and swung off the balcony."

"Hmm. That sounds a little extreme."

"I know, but he came back with fried duck the next morning and we made dumplings together. So as you can clearly see, he isn't going to tie me up and have his way with me," Misaki finished seriously.

Kanami snorted. "Unless, you're into that sort of thing..."

" _Kanami_."

"Fine. fine! Alright, I got it!" Kanami looked like she was mauling the whole idea over in her head. "Well," Kanami began dreamily, "I did always wonder if he was hideous under his mask and if that's why he wore it. I guess not, huh? I swear, this has got to be divine intervention or something. What are the chances that you're crushing on two men who are the same guy? So does he wear it?"

"Wear what?"

"You know, the _mask,_ " Kanami smirked.

"Not so far. He's trying to lie low to protect his identity…and hide the fact he's still alive."

"Right, people must think he's dead because his star fell…But if Hei got hit with the anti-contractor device, why isn't he as ill as April? She's in a wheelchair for god's sake and Hei seems fine as ever."

"I'm not sure," Misaki lied again.

Kanami got that glint in her eye that meant she just had a brilliant idea. "Do you think you could get him to come into the med ward for April in a few days?" she asked excitedly. "Amethyst got Mr. Nishijima to send us a PANDORA researcher. Mina Kanda-something, a doll anomaly expert I've never heard of, apparently. If Hei could be there to help, that could go a long way in the healing process."

Misaki took a sip of her tea. "I'll mention it to him tonight."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Kanami KNOWS...dun, dun, dun!**

**As always, please review!**

**What will happen next? Will the gang figure out what's wrong before things get worse?**


	22. The Assassin, Part 4

**Ch 22. The Assassin, Part 4**

Misaki opened the door to the suite, handbag dropping from her shoulder onto her arm. The lights were off in the apartment and the bedroom door was shut. She ventured further into the room, hand hovering over her gun. "Hei?"

"How was dinner?" Hei asked, voice coming from the bedroom. Misaki visibly relaxed and walked towards the room. "Did you find anything else out about the dolls?"

"No, I—" Hei looked up at her as she stood in the doorway, her one hand resting lightly against the frame. His smile was warm and slightly uncertain, but the over-the-top goofiness so characteristic of Li was gone. She quirked an eyebrow. "Hei…is there any reason why your mask is on our bed? And are those the knives you use to kill people with on our _sheets_?"

"Well, yes? But I cleaned them," Hei said suddenly looking worried. "I was thinking about what we could do tonight and I just didn't want any more secrets between us. I thought we should take advantage of an empty apartment to just…talk."

Had he made the right call? He didn't want to push Misaki too far in case he misread the signs, but maybe his impromptu show-and-tell wasn't what she had in mind for their first night alone.

 _Talk_. _Stupid, Hei! Very, very stupid._ If this were a mission and he had to seduce someone, he wouldn't have missed an opportunity like this to just _talk_.

Hei's knives were arrayed on the bed next to his infamous mask, a necklace with two feathers rested on his pillow, and beneath that was a group photo taken at his sister's wedding. The photograph was small, but it was easy to make out Bai and Atlas in the center, and even the blot of Carmine's red hair. It wasn't much as he never hauled around a bag of mementos everywhere he went, but it was enough for the story he needed to tell.

"Oh," Misaki said, taken aback. She placed her purse down on the floor, beside Hei's open bag. "I thought—after this morning—that maybe we were too tired for anymore…revelations."

Hei's face shuttered. _Wrong move._ "We don't need to do this now—" He moved to take his items off the bed: mask first.

"No!" Misaki cried, arm outstretched as if she couldn't help herself, before blushing and pulling her hand back in. "I only meant that, that it was fine. I _want_ to learn more about you, Hei." Indeed, the way she stared at the mask, with a strange look of longing, was enough to convince Hei she was genuinely interested to hear what he had to share. She knew that Hei was used to keeping secrets, and seemed even now uncomfortable as he sat on the bed, one leg hanging over the edge. Didn't he know he had nothing to fear? She wasn't a rookie in the force. She knew BK-201's file like the back of her hand and could guess at the rest besides.

Misaki sat down beside him, not quite able to hide the excitement bubbling inside of her at the thought of learning more about _BK-201_. It was like hitting the jackpot for a police chief who had been searching for _every_ scrap of information, under _every_ rock for the past few months. Her raw enthusiasm unnerved him, sending tingles up his spine. Was it just because he was falling back on his training, shifting into high alert mode, or was this _exciting_ in a different way?

"I just can't help but think of how long I've spent trying to find you," Misaki continued in earnest. "If we had even a shred of this information before, it would have changed everything."

Hei stared at her. "I know. You would have arrested me."

Misaki shook her head. She hadn't meant it in that way. She _used to,_ but things had changed. Arresting Hei was out of the question. They had discussed that this morning, so why did he still doubt her intentions?

"Relax, I'm only joking," Hei said, genuinely surprised that she couldn't pick up when he wasn't being serious. Adjusting to his real mannerisms wasn't going to be easy when he was always so careful to be a Li or a Li-Hei hybrid around her. It sure hadn't _sounded_ like a joke to her. His tone of voice had been darker, deeper, more confident even. If Hei had been wearing the mask, and she hadn't known that BK-201 was Hei, she might have even taken it as a death threat. Hei passed a hand through his hair. He hadn't meant to offend her. "It isn't your fault you haven't learned to read me, when I've been purposely showing a façade. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Misaki said firmly. "It's an adjustment for both of us _equally_ and we won't get anywhere if you keep apologizing all the time. Just…be yourself. I want to get to know the real you."

Hei looked at the objects strewn on the bed. The mask and knives for the Black Reaper. The necklace for his past. The wedding photo of their present. He knew which ones were easiest to talk about, and which ones might pose some, er, difficulties. "To be completely honest, I also wanted to do this because of dinner tomorrow. I don't think it's fair for you to go in there unarmed…information-wise," he clarified. "Though a gun wouldn't hurt either."

Misaki gave him a playful smile. "So this is really just the Black Reaper's family crash course, is that it?"

"I suppose you're right. Everything, even this mask, has a story that might come up, sooner or later." He held the white porcelain mask in his hand, the face of it looking up at them. "The Syndicate gave it to me shortly after South America. Before, I just wore a black cloth to cover my face if I used anything at all. But then they had me working undercover, where I had to be able to show my face to move around without arousing suspicion. The best way was to create a mask. This way, all anyone saw when I was working was the Black Reaper."

"Hmmm." Misaki touched the mask gently, tapping it with her fingers. "It's not as creepy now that I know you're under it," Misaki said, feeling a thrill of some unnamed emotion run through her as she ran her fingers over the mask, tracing the eyeholes. Her heart skipped a beat and she worried she wouldn't be able to speak. "The, uh, the lightning bolt is a nice touch."

Hei watched her, unsure of how to feel. This was the last thing some people saw in the world and here she was _caressing_ it. In. Their. Bedroom. Hei cleared his throat, knowing he had to do the tell part of the show-and-tell, before saying softly, "They added it because…after I lost my sister, I gained her power."

Hei could see the cogs turning in the police chief's head, pulling her from whatever daydream she was having. Misaki began to connect the dots: his lost sister, the number of contractors on his team in South America, the body sharing detail his sister _accidently_ let slip during the meeting, and his newfound electric power. She turned to him, her eyes wide.

"You—" Misaki put the mask back on the bed.

"In South America, I was still human," Hei confirmed.

"But your sister wasn't. That's why you said you joined the Syndicate to protect her." So that part hadn't been a total lie, at least.

Hei nodded and began his tale. "Bai became a contractor when we were very young. Young contractors don't have the same kind of control as adults do over their powers. She didn't really mean it, I don't think…she killed our parents. I didn't fully understand what I was seeing at the time, I wondered if she was going to kill me too, but then she just collapsed." His navy blue eyes found hers. "Bai's price was sleeping. When the Syndicate came to recruit her, I made them take me too. I couldn't let her go unprotected. She was still _my_ sister. But she killed so many, and I killed so many…Sometimes I wonder if I had just been fast enough to save my parents, would the Syndicate have found us? Would any of it have happened?"

Misaki had been silent through the whole story, listening. Her heart broke for the child Hei was, for the children they both had been. "That wasn't fair for either of you," she began. "But don't think that it was your fault. It was no one but the Syndicate's fault for the putting you through that. You were just children and the Syndicate exploited you." She stared down at her hands, sensing that Hei was unable to really hear her words. Maybe he felt that he didn't deserve to be forgiven, even though he had only been a child. She tried again. "We once had a case concerning a young contractor. Actually, she was a moratorium, something between a contractor and a doll. She was too young to really control her powers. She burned in her own inferno. That is to say, there was nothing you could have done back then. _Nothing_." Her voice was filled with conviction. "You were only a child. So was she."

"I never had the time to think about it," Hei said. "It was always on to the next job. The next country, the next target. I don't remember ever feeling like a child after joining the Syndicate, and then years went by. I always just held myself accountable for what I'd done. It was me doing it after all, not some kid. But if I saw a kid coerced into fighting for an international crime syndicate today, of course I wouldn't blame _them_ for what the organization made them do."

"See? It's all about forgiveness and being kinder to ourselves. Even the Black Reaper could learn about self-acceptance."

Misaki picked the mask back up, handing it to Hei.

"Maybe."

"But I have to ask. You said _your sister_ was the one who became the contractor and that you were still human during the South American conflict. I've never heard of powers transferring before. Does this have anything to do with what Bai said earlier? About you and her sharing a body? Did she become a human again and you become a contractor?"

"Well, I'm _still_ human, kind of. I don't have a price and I never lost my emotions, I just…sort of shut them off? As for Bai, I couldn't really say. Even as a contractor she was starting to regain her emotions, but now that she doesn't have her powers anymore, I find that she's distant at times. We got wrapped up in the same body when Bai fused herself with me during the Heaven's War explosion. It was part of her plan to prevent the Old Syndicate from destroying the gate and wiping contractors and dolls off the earth. Bai stopped them by using her power to alter matter, and then, she used her power on me-well, us. She fused us together."

"But she's here now," Misaki said. "So what changed? Did you unfuse her using your powers?"

"I think she had the reigns at the time," Hei said thoughtfully. "But we had to use the moonstone to do it. It weakened the connection I had with the star, BK-201, and allowed her to detach herself."

"How long ago was this?" Had Bai been running around Tokyo with Section 4 none the wiser? "It couldn't have been too recently because she just got married. There would have been no time for her to even get to _know_ Atlas, right?"

"Well…" Hei looked towards the necklace with the feathers on it.

"Don't tell me," she deadpanned, "It's complicated."

"Time travel often is," Hei said mildly, "when it comes to Amber."

"Amber…" _Another color name._ "Is she the one who gave you that necklace?"

"Yes. And the moonstone."

"I see," Misaki said shortly. Two necklaces from the same girl? Misaki unconsciously straightened.

"Amber was the mastermind behind the end of Heaven's War, the great planner of Atlas and Bai leading the Syndicate, and probably the person responsible for keeping me alive this long." His tone, while not exactly bitter, wasn't exactly enthusiastic either. He had many conflicting emotions when it came to Amber—as a companion, betrayer, and ex-lover.

"It sounds like you owe a lot to her," Misaki said as evenly as she could. Hei, lost in his own thoughts, barely registered that Misaki was biting her lip, looking towards the necklace.

"For a long time, I've wanted to kill her. I thought she had betrayed me and was responsible for Bai's disappearance. In a way, she was, but she wasn't the monster I always thought she had become. I guess I owe her more credit than I'm giving her." Hei shook his head. Even talking about her was hard.

"You must have been close," Misaki said, hearing the emotion in Hei's voice and trying to shove her own emotions aside. Hei needed her to listen.

Something in her tone made Hei look up at her. Misaki almost sounded let down? Disappointed? Jealous? Yes, Hei and Amber had been close. Once upon a time. Hei hadn't wanted to upset Misaki, but he owed it to her to tell her the whole truth, and that included even the uncomfortable bits, like past lovers. You couldn't build a relationship on a faulty foundation. Sooner or later, things would come crashing down. He'd already seen that happen once today.

"At one point, while stationed in South America, yes, we became closer than just friends." Hei held Misaki's eyes as he said this, wanting her to understand. "Amber was important in my life; she acted as a friend, a guide, and an invaluable asset on our team. She's saved my life more times that I can count—but she isn't you, Misaki. We were in the middle of a warzone. It was a matter of convenience, mostly, a way to escape the nightmare we were both in. I want to say that it was strictly transactional, that it didn't mean anything to me, but that's not the whole truth either. I think…we sought each other out for comfort. We both needed it." Had he ever fully loved her? Hei wasn't sure, and he wasn't ready to dig that deep into his past just yet before he even got a handle on the present.

"Carmine?" Misaki had to ask, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks as she asked about each women like an insecure little girl. She told herself it was only natural to be curious, but it was still humiliating none-the-less. She, an adult, could handle knowing her assassin (boyfriend? friendly man? love interest?) had a romantic past.

Hei shook his head with a bitter smile. "She created whole vacuums that killed people and drank children's blood as her price. Even if she were the only one left, I wouldn't have felt safe enough to do anything with her. We were more like colleagues."

Misaki nodded. She could accept that the Black Reaper had a past. A romantic past. Actually, she would have expected him to have several lovers on all the escapades he had. But Hei? It was hard for her to imagine him being with anyone else. He just seemed too careful to want to be that vulnerable with anyone else. She turned away from the necklace and the topic of Hei's past lover.

"The knives, I know," Misaki said. "You tried to avoid using some of them when you first came here. You don't need to do that anymore…or carry around a taser."

"Honestly, you want to know why I bought the taser? It wasn't just to hide my identity. It was to hide it from _you_ until I felt comfortable enough to tell you. I bought the taser to stall for time. I always knew I was going to tell you, Misaki. I just…hadn't yet."

"I believe you, Hei."

Hei looked like he wanted to protest, tell her that it was unwise and foolish to believe him, but he stopped himself. They were adjusting to this new reality together. He turned to the last object.

"This photo, we took it before your section got there. I was planning on going through each person, but you probably know them already." He made to take the photo away, but Misaki reached out and stopped him.

"No, I think it's still worth going through it. I want to hear about them from your perspective," Misaki said, as if his perspective were something valuable and worth hearing about. Hei blinked at her.

"Alright, well, here's Mao. He's not actually Puss-in-Boots."

"I figured."

"But he is a valuable member of my-I mean, our-team. He knows a lot about everything because he's connected directly to the Syndicate's servers to keep the cat brain from taking over. Also, he doesn't snitch."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a tendency to not follow orders," Hei shrugged. "That's what I was doing when you, erm, caught me buying lingerie. I was helping a doll escape. I wasn't supposed to interfere with the deal at all, but I couldn't just let her life be ruined like that when I could do something about it."

"See? Kanami never believed me, but here's proof that you do have a heart, BK-201," Misaki teased.

"Yeah," Hei said, his cheeks tinged pink. He was unused to his off-the-record actions being admired, or any actions for that matter. Being an assassin meant he didn't have many confidants. "Mao caught me and Yin helping the doll escape. He could have turned around and reported me to Huang, but he didn't."

"That's awfully brave of him."

"Bored is more like it," Hei said fondly. "That's Yin. I didn't understand her at first. Even with all the special packages the Syndicate gave her, she still was able to act on her own and even express emotion. I don't think I appreciated that enough when we first became a team. I was too raw after losing Bai…but even before I learned the truth, I think having a friend like Yin helped me to heal, become less bitter."

"What can you tell me about Huang? He's our boss now, it could come in handy to get a read on him from a long-term acquaintance."

"What do you think of him so far?"

"Me? Well, I think he's capable. He used to work for the police as a detective. I have no idea how he ended up handling the Black Reaper, but so far he just seems like any other grumpy man I've had to work with."

"That's basically Huang in a nutshell. He's decisive, but he only followed the Syndicate out of fear. He didn't have much of a choice as I understand it, but I think it has something to do with that woman next to him, Shihoko. By the looks of the current situation, I'd say they were involved a long time ago, but then something happened. Love between contractors and humans does really exist, but it isn't uncommon for us to use seduction as a means to get information. Just like you with Drayton. My guess is that they got close, Huang discovered Shihoko was a contractor, and then the Syndicate stepped in."

Misaki couldn't help but think of her own situation. If they weren't working for the same side now, would she have been forcefully inducted into the Syndicate herself after learning who BK-201 was? She'd be no different from Huang, just another fallen steward of justice made to work for the Syndicate. It was almost comical how her own team had been chasing Hei's tail all this time when her section was on the same side as Hei's. That's likely why she never got anywhere in her searches either.

"Carmine. I know about her. What about Atlas?"

Hei shook his head. "There we are completely equal. I've never really had time to get to know the man. I only talked to him briefly right before the wedding and he seemed truly dedicated to my sister, but other than that, I really don't know."

Misaki frowned, thinking about what she had learned from Kanami earlier that day. "And his brother?"

Hei stiffened. "I didn't know his brother either before I slit his throat."

"Hei! I thought this was a crash course for dinner tomorrow! Were you just not going to mention that?"

"I don't think it will affect how Atlas views you, or me even. Bai and Atlas decided Bai should kill his father and the rest of the board of directors. Something tells me he wasn't sad to see his brother go."

"So who ordered it?"

"I'm not sure. Huang just told me what to do. Then I'd do it. I never even knew the Syndicate had a leader until recently. It just seemed too large before, so ill-defined. It wasn't my place to question where the orders might have come from."

"But you must have some idea, right? Who would have wanted him dead? His father?"

"Maybe. Something tells me Amber was involved, so it may not be all that helpful to try and figure out what happened. All I know is that I killed him." Hei shrugged, his palms facing the ceiling. "Well, that's the end of my tale."

"Thank you, Hei." Misaki wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing him. "I appreciate you opening up like this."

"Better now than let my sister do it," Hei said with a mock shudder. "So what about you?"

"Me?"

"Well, in the spirit of getting to know each other, I thought I might learn more about you."

"What do you want to know? My life's not as complicated as yours. I don't even have any props to tell my story."

"That's alright. How about…how do you know Kanami?"

"Oh, that's an easy one. I've known Kanami since elementary school. She's always been my friend and she's passionate about her work. That reminds me, I didn't tell her you had the moonstone, just suggested you were hit with an anti-contractor device. She wants to know if you can come in two days from now to help with April's treatment. They're bringing in a specialist from PANDORA…damn, I can't remember her name, but it probably doesn't matter. Kanami has it somewhere."

"Sure, I don't mind. I was going to visit them anyway."

"Good. That's a relief. So what else?"

Hei refused to meet her eyes as he contemplated what he wanted to ask her. It felt wrong somehow to pry, even though he had given her the equivalent information _and more_.

"You want to ask me about my previous relationships, don't you?" Misaki asked with a knowing glint in her eye.

"Well…only if you're comfortable with it."

"To be honest, there's not much to tell. I had a short-lived relationship in high school, if you can even call it that, with a guy who asked me for nudes the second he got my number. Needless to say I broke it off with him."

"None since then?" Hei asked casually.

"There was just no time. Between completing my training and actually working, I had no time to think of dating again...I was too busy chasing _you_."

"Oh," Hei said, leaning over and placing a chaste kiss on her lips. "Well, you caught me."

Misaki smiled. "I guess I finally did, didn't I?"

* * *

**A/N: Awww, the Hei/Misaki feels. Contemplating whether next chapter should be the dinner or what's going on with the dolls...hmmm.**

**Please review! I really appreciate them!**


End file.
